Accepting The Present
by ColorsOfTheSky101
Summary: Sequel to Reawakening The Past . Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything’s about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title.
1. The Bad Attitude Twins

**Summary:** Sequel to Reawakening The Past. Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything's about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title. Summary kind of stinks, but the story is really good, I promise!

**A/N: **Here it is…the long awaited (well…not that long, but whatever) sequel to Reawakening The Past! Yay! Sorry I didn't get it up sooner…y'all can relate, right? School keeps you WAY busy.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Zoey 101. BUT I SO TOTALLY WISH I DID, 'cause then I would've made Chase make such a bone-headed mistake and go out with that Rebecca girl!

**Accepting The Present**

**Chapter 1:**

**The Bad Attitude Twins**

**Zoey's POV**

"C'mon, Rob! Hurry up!" I pleaded. "I wanna get there early!" Rob laughed.

"Okay, okay," he reassured. "How come you're so anxious to get their so fast?"

"Um, only because it's the best school ever!" I reminded him. Actually, there was a more specific reason I was so excited to get back to PCA. And his name was Chase Matthews. You know…bushy hair, bright green eyes, kinda clumsy? I missed him so much over the summer. Sure, I had talked to him on phone and IM every day, but that didn't compare to seeing him face-to-face again. My mind was still boggling from the last time I saw him…

**FLASHBACK:**

**_PCAChase:_**_ U know, you can make up for not saying goodbye…_

_**ZoeyB-Girl:** How?_

_**PCAChase:** Turn around!_

_Huh? Turn around? I did as I was told and I saw a bushy-haired boy getting out of a car…my bushy-haired boy! I smiled and laughed and ran up to hug him. I didn't want to let go. Happy tears poured down my face._

_"How'd you find me?" I asked him. He smiled._

_"Easy," he said. "My car came after your car, we follow the same route to Boston as you do to Tennessee, and Emma, one of the foster kids, had to pee." I laughed._

_"I love you, Chase." I said, smiling brightly. He looked like he was about to explode from happiness._

_"I love you too, Zoe." He said, and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he ran his fingers through my hair. He broke the kiss. "So, are you coming back to PCA next year now?" I rolled my eyes and smiled._

_"Noooo…" I said sarcastically. He laughed._

_"I just have one thing to say…" he told me._

_"And what's that?" I asked. He smiled mischievously._

_"Tag," he yelled jokingly, gently shoving my arm. "You're it!" I laughed and grabbed his shirt before he could run away._

_"Ha ha," I mocked jokingly and smiled._

**END FLASHBACK**

God, I loved him so much. He was perfect. Perfect for me, that is. Finally, we passed by the Pacific Coast Academy sign and I was once again at my home for the school year.

"Yes!" I cheered happily. Dustin and Rob looked at me weirdly.

"I still don't get how you can be so excited!" Rob pointed out.

"Well…" I started to explain, but stopped abruptly when I saw a bushy-haired boy smiling at me from the curb outside PCA…it was him! A huge smile spread across my face, and I waved. Rob sighed and smiled.

"Now I get it," he proclaimed, satisfied with his discovery. Dustin laughed.

"Zoey's got a boyfriend!" he mocked in a sing-song voice. I rolled my eyes. He had been bugging me about this all summer.

"And Dustin doesn't!" I mocked back. He slumped in his seat.

"So?" he mumbled quietly. Rob pulled up on the curb and gave me a hug from inside the car.

"Bye, you two!" he said, waving one more time. Chase headed over to me, a huge smile on his face. Dustin grabbed his bags from his suitcase.

"I'm outta here," he announced. "See ya, Zoe." I couldn't hold in my excitement anymore. I started running to Chase.

"Chase!" I screamed happily, jumping into a hug.

"Zoey!" he said just as happily. He pulled away and looked at me. "Wow, you look so…wow! _And_ you dyed your hair brown!"

"Yup," I agreed. "And you're hair got bushier!" He grinned.

"Right," he said. "By the way, there's something I've wanted to do since the last time I saw you!" He kissed me. I smiled.

"Let's go find Nicole and everybody," I suggested. "We told them all about us goin' out…but they all wanna see it for themselves. I was on the phone with Nicole yesterday and all she talked about was 'you and Chase this', 'you and Chase that.' I was almost sick of you." I laughed. Chase looked confused.

"Sick of me?" he asked, scratching his head. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"It's called a joke." I reminded him, and gave him a peck on the cheek. He grinned.

"Right," he said, and grabbed my hand. We headed for the lounge, where we assumed they'd be. Sure enough, Nicole, Dana, Quinn, Michael and Logan were all hanging out there. I smiled when I saw all of them. Nicole was straightening her already straight hair, Dana was sitting with her arms crossed on the couch watching TV, with Logan by her side, either fighting with her or flirting with her. By now, it was hard to tell. Quinn had her nose buried in a book labeled THE NOSE HAIR. _'Kay, don't wanna know where that's going… _Michael was staring at a bag of potato chips, looking like he was debating on whether or not to eat them. Ha ha. Just like old times… Nicole looked up and saw us and gave the loudest scream we had ever heard. OW! MY EARS!

"ZOEY!" she screeched, causing the rest of them to fall off the couch in shock. They got up and ran over.

"Awesome, you two are here!" Quinn told us. "I was just going to offer a twenty dollar job for an experiment I'm working on." I smiled nervously.

"Thanks, Quinn," I told her nervously. "But I think I'll stick to avoiding the explosions, not causing them!"

"Hey look!" Michael said with a grin. "It's PCA's newest and most obvious couple! What up?" I smiled and shrugged.

"Have you guys kissed yet?" Dana asked, annoyed.

"Have you and Logan kissed yet?" I asked her.

"Duh!" she pointed out.

"Okay then!" I said, crossing my arms. Nicole went ballistic.

"You guys kissed?" she squealed. "When? How? Oh, this is so awesome!" Logan finally managed to get up from his trance on the couch.

"Chase, man! What's up?" he said tiredly, and doing that 'man handshake' thing that us girls never seemed to perfect.

"Why are you so tired?" Chase inquired.

"I was over at Potato Chip Boy's house last night and stayed up 'til four in the morning to make sure he doesn't eat chips." We all stared in disbelief.

"Michael? Not eating…_chips_?" I wondered in awe. Everyone except Michael shook their heads.

"Nah," we all chorused.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Michael argued. "I'll have you know all night last night I only had one chip!"

"That's still eating chips," Quinn pointed out. Michael huffed and positioned the chip in his hand in front of his mouth.

"Don't do it, man!" Chase warned, grabbing his wrist.

"Hey, I spent an entire year putting up with your top secret love for Zoey," he argued. "I deserve a chip!" Chase blushed a little, and I squeezed his hand and mouthed 'watch this,' Ha ha yes, Zoey Brooks had a plan.

"Whoa, that girl looks just like Tyra Banks!" I gasped, pointing to a void of air behind Michael.

"Where, where?" he asked excitedly, and turned his head in all directions behind him and I snatched the chip from his hand and popped in it my mouth. He turned back to his hand and frowned.

"Where's my…" he started, then gave us all an evil glare. "Who stole my chip?" We all started cracking up. After we stopped laughing, I spoke up again.

"Where's our dorm this year?" I asked curiously to Nicole and Dana.

"I dunno," Dana answered. "Usually they post it on the bulletin board or something stupid like that, but they didn't."

"Let's ask Coco!" Nicole suggested. "She's right over there. Wait…I think that's her…um…yep, that's Coco! Let's go ask! Wait…actually…maybe that's…"

"Nicole, will you shut up? It's her!" Logan asked, and Nicole looked hurt.

"Will you stop hurting my friend?" Dana growled at him.

"Only if you make out with me," he said, sticking his lips out. I put my hand up in his face.

"It's a privilege, so earn it, pretty boy." She said with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah? Well –"

"Guys! Guys!" I cut in. "Can we just go ask Coco before Dana and Logan kill each other?" The friends all headed towards Coco, who was snacking on ravioli. Boy, did she love ravioli. I bet she would eat it even if a swarm of bees was chasing after her **(A/N: Ha, from Surprise!)**! "Hi, Coco, do you know where our dorm is?"

"Oh, _chomp_, yeah," she said, still munching on her ravioli. She set it on the table and picked up her clipboard. "Oh, see, the thing is, my ex-boyfriend Marco's daughter Peyton is coming to PCA last second so I had to give up your room in Butler Hall to impress him, so I gave you three a doubled room that fits six people." So we were having _three_ other girls in the room. Oh, god.

"Who are the other three?" I asked.

"Actually, there are two. Some girl named Lola Martinez, and this girl…Loretta, and she has a twin brother who's bunking with Chase, Logan and Michael, Lamont…they have a really odd last name. Even more odd than that guy on Leno last night!"

"Which is…?" Chase asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Heaven off sky…I think…" she said, bored, and showed us the clipboard. We stared at the words with disbelief: _Loretta Lynn Hevenofsky_. What! **(A/N: AHHH!)**

"Hevenofsky?" I screamed. "As in the daughter of _Yolanda_ Hevenofsky?" Coco snorted.

"They claim they have absolutely no relation to her, so calm down. You're in room 101A and 101B **(A/N: It's the same room just two doors!)**, so go!" I kissed Chase quickly on the cheek and then the girls and the boys went separate ways. I shivered. Hevenofsky was not, repeat _not_, a common name. She had to be related to Yolanda somehow, right? I guess Dana noticed the slight fear on my face.

"Zoe, calm down!" Dana reassured. "You heard Coco! They are _not_ related to her. Give this girl and that guy, too, a chance!" I gave a small smile. Maybe she was right…

**Chase's POV**

"Do you think Coco was right about Lamont?" I asked nervously. I mean, come on, there couldn't be that many Hevenofskys in this world! She and my terrible past were behind me, and I seriously did not want another Hevenofsky ruining my year. No way.

"Hope so," Logan said with a shrug. _Yeah, thanks for the support Logan…_Well, I knew one thing for sure; if anyone, and I mean _anyone_, tried to hurt Zoey this year, they would pay. Sorry. Had a Dana moment there. We walked in and noticed a guy taking on single bed. He had shaggy from hair and pale green eyes. I saw Logan get angry, because apparently, he "always gets the single bed because he's awesome." Um, no.

"Hey," I greeted. "So you're our new roommate, right?"

"Noooo," he said sarcastically. "I'm just unpacking on this bed in your dorm for the hell of it." Wow. Looks like I wasn't the only one who had a Dana moment today.

"Um, right," Michael said slightly awkwardly. "So, I heard your names Lamont. I'm Michael, and this is Chase and Logan."

"Sup," Logan said, still eyeing him angrily.

"Yeah, hey," I added.

"Lamont is the most pathetic name ever invented. I'm Monte (A/N: Pronounced Mont-E). Anyone who calls me Lamont gets a black eye. Got it?" Man, did this guy have like a permanent anger issue or something?

"Uh…okay…whatever…Monte…" I spoke. He shrugged and continued his unpacking.

"Look, that's it, dude!" Logan said angrily to Monte. "I, Logan Reese, _always_ get the single bed! Me! Every year since _sixth grade_! So, get your crud off _my_ bed!" Monte gave him a death glare.

"Well," he said, anger still flaming in his eyes. "I guess that's about to change!" He turned back to his bag. We all just stared in confusion, probably all thinking the same thing: _What is this dude's problem?_ Monte took a lacrosse stick out of his bag and shoved it under his bed. Michael decided to give him one more try.

"Oh," he said, trying to be interested. "You play lacrosse?" He stared at us like we had three heads. Unless we all suddenly grew two more heads spontaneously, then some obnoxious comment was on the horizon. Shock, shock, surprise, surprise.

"Yeah, I guess so, if playing lacrosse means using a lacrosse stick to deal with certain people, then yeah, I play lacrosse. And good, too." Told you. Great, now we were being threatened by a freaky dude with a lacrosse stick.

"You, you know what?" I started. "Since we don't wanna, you know, bug you anymore, since you're unpacking and stuff, we're gonna go meet up with the girls and –" Monte perked up majorly.

"You guys know girls?" he said, actually sounding excited. "Girls love me. This is awesome! Can I go?" Uh huh. Great. Another Logan. Man, this dude was sounding like a five year old who just got offered a bag of candy! Next thing you know he'll be carrying around ten mirrors at once, and Logan's got a record of seven.

"Um…sure…" Michael said. "While we're at it, I guess we'll give you a tour…"

"Whatever, let's go," Monte ordered, and we headed out the door.

Dana's POV

"Zoe, pass me that shoe!" I screamed to Zoey.

"Ow, Dana, I'm right here, stop screaming!" Zoey screamed back, and threw the shoe at me. Zoey snagged the single bed and I got the lower bed of the first bunk bed, while Nicole got the top. So I was guessin' that Lola and Loretta would get the other bunk bed. Whoo. So exciting. God, I was only at PCA for, like, thirty minutes, and already I was bored. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Who iiiiiiis iiiiiiit?" Nicole sing-songed.

"Shut up, Nicole, you're gonna give me a migraine!" I screamed at her.

"It's your new roomie!" a female voice shouted from the other side of the door. Oh, god. I hoped it wasn't Loretta. I would never admit it, but I was slightly freaked out that her last name was Hevenofsky, but if I told Zoey that, she would go insane from fear. Because if Danger Cruz was scared of something, then boy would everyone else be. That's just how it rolled, got it? I got up from the floor where I was organizing my shoes and headed to answer the door. I opened it and there stood a girl. She had tan skin and brown hair with red and a few yellow highlights. She was wearing and orange hat and colorful earrings and jewelry. She has on a black dress with blue stripes on it in random places and a silver belt, and than jeans under and yellow heels. It was a very…um…bold look, I guess.

"Hey!" she told us all, and walked in. "I'm Lola!" Zoey looked relieved. It was Lola. Not Loretta.

"Hola, Lola! I'm…oh my gosh, that rhymed! How cool is that? Anyway, I'm –" I covered Nicole's mouth with my hand.

"This is Nicole Bristow. She talks…a lot." I warned Lola. She laughed. "I'm Dana Cruz, the one and only." Wow. Just had a Logan moment there. Ah, Logan. I hated him so much that I loved him.

"Hey, Dana, hey Nicole!" she greeted.

"And I'm Zoey Brooks!" Zoey told her. She grinned. "What?"

"Did you go to Findell Elementary?" she asked curiously. Zoey nodded.

"Don't you remember me? I introduced myself as Lolita the Cheetah, and then I had to go home early?" Lolita the Cheetah? Umm…ok…

"Oh, yeah! Whoa, this is awesome!" she said, hugging her. "Welcome to PCA." She grinned.

"Thanks!" she told us all. She set her bags on the bottom bunk of the second bunk bed. "Although I'm not going to be here for too long."

"Why's that?" I asked curiously.

"Because in a while I'll be discovered by a talent agent for my fabulous acting and be whisked off to stardom," she said as if it were a fact.

"Um, whatever you say…" I said. Lola looked around the room.

"This cool is so pretty!" she squealed. It was an okay room. Not my style, though. The walls were purple and the floor was light blue carpeting. The bed spreads were white with purple and blue polka dots to match the rest of the room. The closets and the door were white. Then there were five white dressers, each one assigned to one of us. I would've preferred more black or even red, but whatever, it's not like I owned the school.

"Yeah!" Zoey agreed. "The only problem is the doors. They're way to white."

"Agreed," Lola said.

"Hey," Zoey said, probably formulating one of her ideas. "What if we all decorate our own closets, and then we all decorate the front door together?"

"Yeah! That would be awesome!" Nicole squealed.

"Eh, it would be kinda fun, I guess." I told them. At least I would be able to add some of my favorite colors to the room.

"Wait a sec," Lola said, confused. "There are five closets, but only four of us…" There was a knock at the door.

"Oh, right, forgot to mention," I told Lola. "We have another roommate, Loretta, um, Hevenofsky."

"Oh," Lola said. "I'll get it!" She rushed up to the door and opened it. There stood the supposed 'Loretta.' She had shoulder length brown wavy hair and bright green almond shaped eyes. She was wearing a light blue mid-drift, and jeans which were tucked into brown Ugg boots. God, didn't she know you don't wear boots in early September? She wasn't smiling.

"You must be Loretta," Lola guessed with a smile. "I'm Lola Martinez, and these are my friends Zoey Brooks, Dana Cruz and Nicole Bristow." The three of us gave nervous smiles and waves.

"Look," she said angrily. "One, I seriously didn't wanna come to boarding school this year, but I was forced to, so I would appreciate it if I get to pink my own bed. Two, I'm Lori. Anyone who calls me anything else, Loretta, Loret, Lor, Etta, Retta, whatever, pays! Got it?" Oh no she did _not_ just try to steal my role as the tough one.

"No, you listen up, 'Lori,'" I hissed. "You're gonna sleep wherever we saved for you to sleep, so get over it and while your at it, get an attitude adjustment and a life."

"Look who's talkin', Caramel Locks!" Lori screeched. She walked with attitude over to Lola's taken bed and shoved her bags to the top.

"Hey," Lola defended. "Hello, Miss Bad Attitude? That's _my_ bed!" Lori gave her a death glare.

"And now it's mine, got a problem with that?" she asked Lola, still glaring.

"Yeah, she does!" I yelled at her.

"Well, get over it," Lori said, smirking at Lola. "By the way, I think you got some mustard and ketchup in your hair." Oh, god. This girl made me look nice! Crap. She's got some serious issues.

"What the heck did we even do to you?" Zoey asked angrily. She gave Zoey the most disgusted, evil, terrifying, death defying glare I had ever seen in my entire life.

"Way too much," she hissed, and began unpacking. "Get the hell away from me!"

"Fine!" Nicole mumbled angrily. "Zoe, Lola, D, let's go meet up with the guys."

"'Kay," Lola said, perking up.

"So, y'all know some dudes?" Lori asked.

"Um…yeah…" Zoey answered.

"I'm comin' to meet them, too." She told us, climbing off the bed.

"Um I don't think – " Nicole started.

"That wasn't a suggestion, moron!" she said, and followed them out the door. _This is gonna be an interesting year…_

**A/N: God, do you hate Loretta and Lamont already? I do. Any predictions? Don't ruin it if you know where this is going! It's kind of obvious though! OMG, who's excited for the new episode tonight? DON'T RUIN IT FOR ME, because I'll be TiVoing it cuz I can't see it tonight! Well…..REVIEW!**

**MuSiC-iS-LyFe-101**


	2. WEERD

**Summary:** Sequel to Reawakening The Past. Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything's about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title. Summary kind of stinks, but the story is really good, I promise!

**A/N: **Hey people! I'm sorry to say I won't be able to update as much anymore but I will. I'm not giving up any of my stories, it's just that school's tough and yeah. My ahmazing reviewers:

**Disclaimer:** Don't own the show…BUT…I own Lori and Monte! Yay me…not.

**Accepting The Present**

**Chapter 2:**

**W-E-E-R-D**

**Zoey's POV**

Okay…this girl was definitely related to Yolanda. No question.

"So, why are you so interested in meeting the guys when ya hate us?" Lola asked Lori. Lori gave Lola a glare.

"'Cause guys are hot, and you are not. Done." She said, putting her hand up. "Plus, not that it's any of your business, but I'm searchin' for a boyfriend." I rolled my eyes.

"Good luck with that," I mumbled under my breath.

"What was that, Brooks?" Lori asked, looking as if she was about to kill me. I stared in fear. _That stare…it's so familiar…_ Then it hit me. It was Yolanda's stare. Yolanda's cold, evil stare. I shivered.

"Nothing," I answered. "It's just that two of the guys are taken by me and Dana…" I said, trailing off. We saw the guys off in the distance at a table talking.

"It better not be the bushy-haired one," she said with a smirk. "He's too cute for you." My eyes flamed. _Okay, calm down, Zoey…Chase would never fall for her…he loves you too much…_

"FYI, Chase is head-over-heels in love with Zoey, Zoey's head-over-heels in love with Chase…so back off, LORETTA!" Dana screeched. Lori gave Dana a death glare.

"Strike one, Cruz…" she said with anger. "Get to strike three, you'll be sorry." Dana rolled her eyes.

"This isn't baseball, Hev-Piss off-sky." She shot back. Ha, Hev-Piss off-sky.

"Yeah, seriously, just stay away from Chase, because Zoey and him are meant to be," Nicole added. I nodded.

"We'll just see about that." Lori said with a smirk. Um, what? I was about to question what she meant when Michael spotted us and gestured us over. Lola's eyes lit up.

"Who's that?" she asked, amazed.

"Michael Barrett," I answered. "Why, do you like him?" Lola blushed.

"No, I don't even know him…" she said. "But he's so cute!" Michael smiled and waved at Lola. She smiled and waved back. _Aww…they would be so cute together!_ We all sat down at the table, and noticed a guy with shaggy brown hair and green eyes who I'd never met.

"Hey, y'all!" I greeted, sitting down next to Chase. I laid down on his shoulder and he smiled and kissed me.

"Get a room!"Lori huffed. The shaggy haired guy laughed and I turned to him.

"Lamont, I presume?" I asked, a little irritated.

"Monte," he corrected. "I'm Monte." He smiled. Chase looked confused. Nicole smiled at him.

"Hi, Monte," she said dreamily. "I'm Nicole Bristow." I gasped. That was the shortest sentence that I've ever heard come outta Nicole's mouth. Usually it was 'Hi, I'm Nicole. What's your name? Mine's Nicole, oops, said that already, who are you? I bet you have a cool name? Do you have a cool name?...' and it goes on and in until you shut her up. But…no…not this time…whoa.

"Hey, Nicole." He said with a smile. "So who are the rest of you?"

"Zoey Brooks," I said with a small smile, and gave a 'what's up' look to Chase, who looked pretty annoyed at the moment.

"I'm Lola Martinez, future academy award winner," Lola said matter-of-factly. He looked over at Dana and gave a grin.

"And who would this pretty girl be?" he asked. Nicole and Logan's eyes burned with jealousy.

"This pretty girl would be _my_ girlfriend, Dana!" Logan shouted at him. He shrugged.

"Right, just like the single bed was _yours_," he said sarcastically. Logan was fuming.

"Calm down, Logan!" Dana told him, touching his shoulder. He smirked at Monte and stayed silent.

"Anyways, I'm new, who are all of you?" Lola asked.

"Same," Lori said, smiling at Chase. He raised his eyebrow.

"Lola, _Lori_," I started, saying Lori in an annoyed tone. "Chase, Logan, Michael. Chase, Logan, Michael…Lola, Lori." Michael gave a winning smile to Lola.

"Hey, welcome to PCA, Lola," he told her. She blushed. Ha, she so liked him!

"Thanks," she thanked him. Lori rolled her eyes and looked over at Chase.

"I love your bushy hair…" she said dreamily. _God, could she give it a rest? Aww poor Chase!_ He raised his eyebrow again.

"Um…ok…" he said, confused. Lori smiled an evil smile and looked over at Monte, who had on the same evil smile.

"Gotta go," they both said at the same time, and walked off.

"That was weird…" Lola pointed out. We all nodded.

"There's something you guys need to know!" Chase said to us girls.

"Yeah? What?" Dana asked.

"That Monte guy," he started. "He's the most obnoxious dude ever."

"Yeah," Michael agreed. "He threatened to pelt us with a lacrosse stick!"

"A lacrosse stick?" I laughed. Nicole looked confused.

"That can't be true!" she sighed. "He's so sweet!" Again, with the not talking as much. Some thing was up.

"Sorry, Nicole, it's true," Michael said.

"Do you like Monte?" Lola asked her. Nicole blushed.

"Um, maybe…" she said trailing off. The guys were all silent.

"But he's an obnoxious freak!" Logan reminded.

"That really doesn't surprise me, considering Lori isn't any better," I pointed out.

"I could tell," Chase said, annoyed. "What was up with the comment on my bushy hair?"

"Yeah, that was way random," Lola agreed.

"Uh huh, I agree," Dana said. I looked down at my feet and everyone turned to me.

"Zoey, are you okay?" Chase asked concerned, putting his arm around me.

"She likes you," I said simply.

"She likes Chase?" Michael asked, amazed. I nodded. _And I hate her for it…_

"Well, that sucks for her, because I'm in love with the girl sitting right next to me," Chase promised. I smiled.

"I know," I said. "But then she's all like 'we'll see about that'."

"Shyea, that was W-E-E-R-D." Nicole added.

"Nicole, I think you mean W-E-_I_-R-D." Lola corrected. Nicole shook her head.

"No, W-E-E-R-D. **W**hoa, **E**specially **E**xtra **R**andom **D**ude." She told us as if it was a no-brainer. We all stared at her. "What? Don't you guys know anything about the latest and greatest IM expressions?"

"Okay, I could stand LOL, and I didn't complain about JK, but WEERD? You have gotta be joking!" Dana said irritated.

"SRY!" Nicole apologized.

"Will you _shut up_?" Dana screeched. Nicole was silenced.

"Anyway, what did she mean about 'we'll see about that'?" Chase asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Dunno," I said, grabbing a grape from the center of the table.

**_Meanwhile, somewhere on campus…_**

**Normal POV**

"You know what we have to do right?" one voice asked.

"Yeah," the other said. "Avenge mom and dad."

"And we'll do this how?"

"Ruin their lives." The second voice said. "They're gonna wish they never messed with us."

**A/N: W-E-E-R-D! Ha ha, that expression is so completely random. My cousin made it up, just thought I'd add it because I missed Nicole's randomness on the real show! Oh, man, I wonder what those people are planning? Uh oh…and…I think Lola and Nicole might be liking certain people. It's pretty obvious. What will happen? Only I know! REVIEW PLEASE!**

**MuSiC-iS-LyFe-101**


	3. Project Partners

**Summary:** Sequel to Reawakening The Past. Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything's about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title. Summary kind of stinks, but the story is really good, I promise!

**A/N: **Hola! Sorry for the long-ish wait. SCHOOL IS PANDEMONIUM! I'm not gonna bore you with details, but let's just say I'm having major guy issues AND I'm gonna fail a test I took. Greeaaaat. NOT! Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed:

**cenasboywl-** Yess. Not cool at all. They are the ones you love to hate! Ha.

**sexyzenfox-** Because I am pure evil! Bwahahaha! Um…I'm not stopping the writing of this story! Don't worry!

**Hybrid Speed-** Yup! Veryy woah. Ha, WEERD. You gotta admit, you miss Nicole's randomness in season 3! AND YES, CHASE DUMPED REBECCA YEAAAAAA WHOOOO!

**Just-Makin-A-Mess-** Thanks and I will or did or whatever!

**GinnyAndDracoForever-**Hahaha yup hilarious! LMAO---there's an expression right there! Go you! Go Nicole! Haha. And I agree, Rebecca es muy loca!

**x-Helen-x-** Yes, I love Chase, hate Lori and Monte! Thanks, enjoy!

**girliegurl-** HAHA SHYEA! WEERD lolol. I used it in school like 3 days ago and everyone was like DUDE U SPELLED WEIRD WRONG HAHAH! Keep reviewing!

**Zoey.Chase4eva-** Muchas gracias!

**topazchick08-** Is that AWESOMELY AWESOME thing your catch phrase? If so, COOL! Haha that was random. Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own the show…BUT…I own Lori and Monte! Yay me…not.

**Accepting The Present**

**Chapter 3:**

**Project Partners**

**Lola's POV**

Ok, so, I had only been at PCA for what, like…a day? Yeah, and already I was being bored to death by teachers. Example, Mr. Brian Seezer, the English teacher. I mean, the guy clicked his tongue after every sentence! Couldn't he give it a rest for, like, a second?

_Ohh, look, there's Michael… _I thought dreamily. _Aw, he's so cute, taking notes like a good boy…God, he's, like, perfect. Oh, wait…I'd better listen to what Seezer's saying before I get caught daydreaming…_

"Okay class," Mr. Seezer started. "Before you go to your next class, I have an announcement to make-_click_-" I turned to Zoey, who was in the desk next to me, who was grimacing at Seezer's annoying habit to Chase, who was on the other side of her. Up in front of me, Nicole was staring dreamily at Monte, who was sitting in the back of the room on the other side of Dana. Obviously, Logan was the one also sitting next to her. He also looked pretty angry. Like someone-smashed-my-mirror angry. Oh, yea, even I, the new girl in school, already discovered Logan's love for mirrors. Yesterday, Michael and Chase hung out with us in our dorm 'til curfew because one, Monte, and two, Logan was trying to decided "which mirror was more worthy of his awesomeness." Okay…? I glanced at Lori, miss bad attitude herself, who was staring at Chase, who was sitting in front of her. "We're going to start a video project-_click_-"

"Great…" Logan whispered sarcastically under his breath. Dana rolled her eyes.

"With your partner, you will create a video with an emotional meaning-_click_-. Your grade will be based on mood, creativity, and all that jazz-_click_-. The project will have no real rules because I want to see all of your creative sides before we get into real work-_click_-. It will be due in one week-_click_-. Any questions-_click_-?" Zoey raised her hand. "Yes-_click_-?"

"Are we choosing our partners?" she asked.

"No, I shall choose partners for you-_click_-," Mr. Seezer answered. The entire class moaned, including moi. I wanted to be with Michael! "Everyone pick a number out of this hat and the person with the same number as you is your partner-_click_-," I scrunched up my face. Stuff like this always happened in movies. A girl would pray and pray to be paired with her crush and get some jerk. Yeah, I had seen it all. I knew every happy ending that ever took place. I just…had never been part of any of them. I acted a part, never lived it. Grr. Mr. Seezer held up the hat in front of me and I grabbed a slip of paper.

After class, me, Zoey, Nicole, Dana, Chase, Logan, and…sigh…Michael…gathered in the hall in a circle.

"Okay," Chase started. "On the count of three, we all open the papers. One…two…three…" I unfolded my slit:

**_9._**

****"Anyone have 9?" I asked the circle.

"Oh, I do," Nicole said happily, lifting her slit in the air. "Yay!"

"Awesome," I said, putting on my best acting smile. I mean, Nicole's awesome, but I really, really wanted to be with Michael.

"Zoe, I have 3!" Chase told Zoey. She frowned.

"Noooo," she said sadly. "I have 6."

"I have 6!" said a voice rushing up to us.

"Quinn!" Zoey, Nicole, and Dana screamed, running up to hug this quirky looking girl with lots of colorful braids in her hair, glasses, and wearing a tie-dye rainbow dress above jeans.

"Um, a little confused here…" I said.

"Oh, Lola, this is Quinn." Zoey introduced. I grinned.

"Hey, Quinn, nice to meet you." I told her.

"Ditto," she said with a smile. "Zoe, I am so happy we're partners!" Zoey put on a happy but nervous grin.

"Michael, what number do ya have?" I asked him.

"5," he said with a shrug. "Anyone 5?"

"Great, I'm stuck with potato chip boy!" Logan complained, holding up a slit of paper revealing that he was in fact a 5, too. Michael groaned.

"I wish you were my partner," he told me. I felt red creep up my cheeks. Suddenly, Michael, realizing how that sounded, added, "Anyone's better than this guy," pointing his thumb backwards at Logan. I laughed.

"Okay, who's 3?" Chase asked the hall.

"Yeah, and um, anyone 4?" Dana added. Out of nowhere, came the she-devil and her brother.

"Whaddaya know!" Monte approached Dana with a grin. "_I'm_ 4!"

"Okay, whatever…" Dana shrugged. Logan's eyes burned with anger, but he remained silent.

"And _I'm_ 3!" Lori said, flirtatiously to Chase.

"Great, I'm stuck with Bitch-enofsky," he mumbled to Zoey.

"Ha ha, that was even better than Dana's 'Hev-piss-off-sky'" she laughed. I gave a small smile at the couple. They were so cute together! Chase grabbed Zoey's hand.

"Shall I walk you to your dorm?" I asked with a joking smile.

"No, I'm gonna leave you standing here like a loser," she joked, and walked off with him. Dana and Logan walked side-by-side back to their dorm, too. Lori and Monte were walking, snickering evilly, with Nicole trying to catch up to Monte.

All of a sudden, I felt a sense of loneliness. Like, everyone else had someone. I was felt standing in the hallway…_alone_.

"Hey Lola!"

Or so I thought.

"Oh, hey Michael!" I said with a smile. "Oh, my gosh, for a second I thought I was on my own."

"Nope," he said. "Wanna walk back with me?"

"Nope…" I lied, and started walking, leaving him there, confused. I turned back and smiled. "I'm just kidding, come on!" He laughed and caught up to me.

"You _are_ a good actress!" he commented. I showed him my academy award-winning bow, which I had practiced since I was seven.

"Thank you, thank you," I joked. "Let's get back to the dorm." And we chatted all the way. Sigh.

**Logan's POV**

After I walked Dana back to her dorm, I headed back to mine. That Monte guy made me so mad! What was his issue? I walked through our door and slammed it shut. The only one in there was Monte. Great…yeah, I hope you caught the sarcasm.

"Hey, Logan…" he said obnoxiously. He grinned an evil grin. "Look what I got!" He held up Mr. Good-Looking. I glared.

"Put…that…down…now!" I screamed at him. He smirked and threw it up in the air. I dived for it, but it smashed against the ceiling. The pieces shattered around the room **(A/N: Ha ha, did you guys know it was a mirror? LOL)**. "Nooooo!"

"Oops, my bad!" he snickered, and went back to reading his magazine.

"Okay, that's it!" I grunted. "Why are you so freakin' obnoxious to me but you act all goody-goody around the girls?"

"Girls are not," he said obviously. Well, that was true, BUT…I was not gonna let him win that easily. Nope.

"So?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"So, you gotta give them what they want…so then they'll give you what you want." He said with a smirk. "Now get away!" I couldn't believe this guy got partnered up with Dana for the project. No, Logan, you couldn't get jealous. Logan Reese did _not_ get jealous.

"I know what you're thinking," he said suddenly. "You're jealous of me getting partnered with Dana."

"Psh, no!" I defended. "Dude, you've got issues!"

"Okay, whatever, dude," he gave me an evil stare. "But, hear this…Dana will be mine." My fists clenched. He rolled his eyes. "Build a bridge and get over it!" I threw a football that was on top of the mirror shelf at him and it hit his shoulder.

"Ha, bridge that, LAMONTE!" I laughed. It was weird after that. He looked…calm-ish? Yeah. He walked up to me, stuck his face right up in my grill.

"Prepare to be miserable," he said simply, and then headed out the door. I groaned, and bended down to pick up the remnants of Mr. Good-Looking. He was such a beloved mirror. We had been through the good hair days and the bad hair days together. My head was sort of dizzy. No, not from the mirror issue…the whole "Dana Cruz will be mine" say Monte, blah, blah, blah, that thing. But…I had nothing to worry about…right? I mean, Dana loved me…right? Right?

"Hey, dude!" Michael yelled, walking through the door. He looked down and gasped. "What happened to your mirror?"

"Monte through it at the ceiling and it smashed…" I grumbled. Michael tried to hold in his laughter.

"Poor Mr. Nice-Looking!" he said sarcastically.

"Good-Looking, Michael!" I corrected.

"Why thank you, I am good looking, aren't I?" Michael mocked. "This must be a pretty emotional experience for you. Hey, here's an idea…ha ha, let's do a funeral for your mirror for our video project!" He started cracking up…but…wait…

"Michael! That's an awesome idea!" I screamed. He looked at me like I had three heads. I turned to the mirror on the wall. Nope, I was still hot with only one head. Thank god. But on the other hand, three heads would be triple the handsomeness right?

"Man, are you serious?" Michael laughed. "I was kidding!"

"Think about it," I started. "It's emotional _and_ creative!"

"I wanted to do a documentary on my difficulty dealing with my 24 hour lack of potato chips!" he complained. _What an idiot! How can potato chip loss be emotional? Wait, it's Michael. Never mind._

"Dude, that's the dumbest idea I've ever heard!" I screamed. "Mirrors are the way to go!"

"No, chips!" he screamed.

"Mirrors!"

"Chips!"

"Mirrors!"

"Oh, you wanna go?"

"Yeah…your mom!"

"I know you did not just –"

"Guy, guys!" Chase came in screaming. "Stop the insanity…please!" But we continued. Yeah, I wanted my mirror video. So sue me!

**Normal POV**

Meanwhile, far beyond the madness, two siblings sealed the gang's fate.

"Tomorrow?" the first person questioned.

"Tomorrow." The second answered with an evil smirk. "Tomorrow they are going down…"

**A/N: Ooh, scary! So…Zoey&Quinn, Chase&Lori, Dana&Monte, Mirror-Obsessed&Potato Chip Monster, Nicole&Lola. Will anything good come out of this project? Hmm…I dunno. Wait, yeah I do. By the way, whatever you're predicting will happen that has happened in many other stories will not happen. This story is not predictable TRUST ME…lotsa plot twists comin' your way! What did y'all think of Hot Dean? I thought it was OK, but OMFG Coco's date with him was insanely hilarious and hilariously insane! Ok… REVIEW!**

**MuSiC-iS-LyFe-101**


	4. It All Begins

**Summary:** Sequel to Reawakening The Past. Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything's about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title. Summary kind of stinks, but the story is really good, I promise!

**A/N: **I'm sorry this took forever to update! Hopefully y'all don't hate me!

**twcklvr1-** I'm glad you do!

**Dark Angel Princess Forever-** Your wish is my command. Haha.

**GinnyAndDracoForever-** Ya, that was adorable! Chase and Lori: can't be good, no?

**topazchick08-** That's way cool!

**girliegurl-** Haha yeah. Zoey and Quinn. We know what happened last time they tried to work on something together (remember in Zoey's Tutor? LOL!). Thanks for the reviews, and yeah, PROPS TO RAVIOLI WOMAN!

**sexyzenfox-** Haha, thanks lots! OMG, you HAVE to update Am I Too Late. I love it!

**Hybrid Speed-** That would explain why you put yourself in Mind Games to date 'Nicole.' Hehe.

**Zoey.Chase4eva-** You know it! Thanks!

**Just-Makin-A-Mess-** I agree. It really sucks for them. I'm so mean, but it's ok. LOL. Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own the show…BUT…I own Lori and Monte! Yay me…not.

**Accepting The Present**

**Chapter 4:**

**It All Begins**

**Zoey's POV**

"For the last time, Quinn," I yelled, irritated. "We are _not _doing a documentary on geckos!"

"But it's _perfect_!" Quinn whined. I slapped my hand to my head in frustration. Why was I cursed with Quinn as my partner? Sure, she was my friend but…was it really fair?

"And how do you propose you get a gecko, Quinn?" I asked, annoyed.

"I have three in my room!" she defended.

"Man that is nasty!" Michael winced. See, we were all planning to get together to work on our projects, but only Quinn, Michael, Logan and I had shown up in the guy's dorm. God knows where Lola and Nicole were, or anyone. But I was stressed out.

"Agreed, can't we video something, oh, I dunno, normal?" I yelled at her.

"Okay Zoe, we know you're all stressed because Chase and Lori haven't showed, but can you give it a rest?" Michael complained. I huffed.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "It's just that…what if…what if…I don't know…"

"Maybe they needed a different location to record," Quinn suggested. I sighed.

"Maybe, I guess," I groaned. There was a long silence that filled the room.

You couldn't blame me for being freaked out. I mean, Lori liked Chase! Who knows what could've been happening?

"That's it!" Logan screamed. "I'm going to find Dana…now!" He got up and stormed out the door.

"And I guess I'll go see where Chase is," I told them, getting up, but Quinn shoved me down.

"No!" she whined. "Zoey, we must finish this project. Plus, going to look for him is too nervy. I'm sure everything's fine. Can we just please work on this?"

"Fine," I mumbled. "But we don't even have a topic!" I did have a point there.

**Logan's POV**

Now, if I was a super hot, angry girl partnered with an obnoxious fake, weird-named jerk…where would I go?

"Dana!" I screamed around the halls. "Dana!" I picked up my cell phone again and dialed her number. Ring once…ring twice…

"_Hello?_" Dana's voice yelled through the phone.

"Where are you?" I inquired.

"_The library. Why?_" she asked. I scrunched my nose. The library? Who would ever wanna go there? It was like book hell there. Boring book after boring book. It was so gross.

"You were supposed to meet all of us in our dorm." I argued.

"_Whoops, sorry!_" she apologized. "_But Monte had this great idea where we could –_ "

"Great, anyways, I'm coming." I told her and hung up.

"Now, I just gotta get to that library…" I told myself. But…wait? Uh, where was the library again? I knew it was somewhere in this school. Wasn't it that place with the ugly woman at the desk in front? Wait, no that was the science room. Maybe –

"Hiiiiiiiiii Logan!" a few girls giggled in unison as I walked by. Hmm, they've been working on that whole giggle-together thing…

"Hey, would you happen to know where the…um…library is?" I asked stupidly.

"Oh, I'll show you!" this red-head screeched. I think her name was Rita…or Remy…something with an R. or was it S?

Ever since I met Dana, I haven't really cared at all about other girls.

"Nah, it's ok. Just point me in the right direction, Remy." I asked somewhat nicely. Somewhat.

"Um, it's Stephanie." She corrected. "And it's that-a-way."

"Thanks," I thanked and headed for the library in a rush. I didn't trust that Monte guy. No way. On the way there I accidentally slammed right into Lola.

"Sorry," I apologized.

"Can't talk, need to find Zoey!" she said frantically, video camera in hand. Okay…that was weird…

Finally, I reached the library and shuddered. Who would ever actually go in there by choice? I stepped in cautiously and after a few tortured book sections, I heard Dana's laughter. And Monte's laughter. They were laughing…together.

"Okay, that's it!" I screamed. Miss Burns, the librarian shushed me, but I ignored her. "Monte, get the heck away from my girlfriend! I know what you're up to!"

"Logan, what is your – " I interrupted Dana.

"He's trying to steal you away from me by making me look stupid!" I accused.

"Well, it worked, you look pretty stupid!" Dana remarked.

"You were totally just flirting with him!" I told her.

"No, I wasn't!" she defended angrily.

"Then why were you here in the library with him anyways?" I questioned.

"Because he's my PROJECT PARTNER." She screamed. Miss Burns kicked us all out.

"Oh, right…" I said, feeling like a total idiot. "Sorry…"

"Whatever…" Dana sighed. "Come on, Monte. Let's go…" She turned the other way with Monte at her side. He turned and mouthed "haha". I rolled my eyes.

"Psh, what a loser." I said to no one in particular.

Why was Monte getting to me like this? Was it because I really was afraid of losing Dana to this Hevenofsky kid?

**_Meanwhile…before…_**

**Chase's POV**

"Come on, Lori!" I screamed at her. "We have to meet everyone in my dorm!"

"But I think it would be better if we worked in here," she argued, crossing her arms.

"We don't even have a topic yet!" I yelled, frustrated. She just stared at me, annoyed.

"I do," she stated simply. "How about a story about a girl who's mom is in jail and whose dad is dead?" I gave her a confused look.

"What?" I asked.

"Never mind!" She sat down on the floor. Okay, this girl had serious mood swing problems.

I know you're thinking: Chase, how could you be so cruel to this girl? She was sad. That's just sick. Well…guess what?

Maybe that was correct. I mean, it was her mom that destroyed our lives, not her. _Maybe I should just attempt to be nice._ So I did. I sat down next to her.

"What do you want to do for the project?" I offered her an opinion to give. That was nice, right? Wrong.

"None of your business." She rolled her eyes. We sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, she asked me something, and it was then that I totally and completely regretted ever trying the "nice" approach. "WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?"

I stood up from annoyance. "One, No, ew! Two, I have an amazing girlfriend. Three, why the heck would I ever date you?" I headed out the door as fast as possible, but she grabbed me.

"Maybe because of this!" Before I could do anything, she grabbed me and kissed me. My eyes widened and I trued to push her away. Agh, gag me!

"Get the hell off me!" I screamed, shoving her off me and running for my life. On my way out, I almost tripped over a red and black chunky bracelet. How did that get there?

UGH, WHERE WAS LOGAN'S MOUTHWASH WHEN YOU NEEDED IT! EW. I CAN'T BELIEVE I WAS KISSED BY LORI!

Oh, god.

I was kissed by Lori…

ZOEY!

This is not good. Not good at all. Curse you, Lori! I cursed thee. May you get eaten by a flock of angry pigeons!

Why did these things always happen to me?

**A/N: OH GAWD NO. Can you believe that? I'm sure you all hate me right now. I even hate myself! Sorry if the chapter was a little short or rushed…it was hard to write. BUT, I promise a really awesome next chapter, okay? OKAY. ANYWAYS, you guys are all probably thinking a certain idea that happens in so many fics, but this story is NOT predictable, although predictions are accepted in reviews. Speaking of reviews…mind giving this chapter one? Please?**

**FutureStArLeT101**


	5. Real Lies And Fake Lies

**Summary:** Sequel to Reawakening The Past. Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything's about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title. Summary kind of stinks, but the story is really good, I promise!

**A/N: **Hi, people! Well, new chapter, fresh off the Mic Word! Hope you like it. Sorry in advance for the cliffy at the bottom.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Zoey 101. If I did, that would be insane!:)

**Accepting The Present**

**Chapter 5:**

**Real Lies And Fake Lies**

**Lola's POV**

"Nicole, I can't believe I'm saying this," I said, pressing the camera to my eye. "But start talking." Yeah, you didn't ask Nicole to talk. Just look at how much she talked when people _didn't _want her to talk. Nicole ran her fingers through her hair.

"Okay, go!" she squealed. "Hiii everyone in my English class! How are ya? Well, this is the project of Nicole Bristow-that's me, I hope you know that's me, 'cause if you don't, that's suckish especially since I've been in classes with you for, like, two years-and Lola Martinez-she's managing the camera at this point in time. Wait, do you _manage_ a _camera_? Hmm. Anyways, say hi Lola!" I turned the camera so it pointed towards me.

"Sup?" I smiled. "'Kay, so this video is called A Day In The life Of Two Fashionistas. From now 'til the end of the day, we're going to film everything. The unedited, unrehearsed truth of a day in the life of us. I'll have the camera for the first half, Nicole for the second. So get ready, this is going to be GOOD!" I turned the camera back to Nicole, who had just gotten out her makeup bag and was painting her toes a hot pink. "We now see Nicole…painting her toes. Tell the world, Nicole; why did you choose hot pink as your color?"

Nicole scrunched her nose. "It's magenta, not hot pink!"

"Pardon me!" I laughed.

We were in the girl's lounge. 'Cause we were definitely gonna need some Blix in the long run. Yep.

"Now, what shall we talk about next?" I asked, doing a close-up on her.

"How 'bout your secret love for Michael?" Nicole smiled evilly. My eyes widened.

"Nicole!" I argued. "I do not!" She grabbed my English composition notebook from the table.

"Let's see your notes today!" she said. "Michael and Lola, Lola Barrett, Michael Martinez, Lola and Michael Barrett, Lola – "

"Stop!" I screamed frantically. "Nicole! How are we going to edit this video now? We will NOT use that!"

"Don't worry," she reassured. "We're gonna edit it later."

"Then I guess we're liars." I shrugged. "But just in case…" I did a close-up on Nicole's open English book. The page said in huge letters "NICOLE IS IN LOVE WITH MONTE HEVENOFSKY" and hearts everywhere. "Now, we're even!"

"Noooo!" Nicole whined, snatching away her notebook. "You're mean!"

"That makes two of us, Nic." I smirked. "I'm gonna go head up to the room to get the assignment sheet with the guidelines, 'kay?"

"Go for it," Nicole told me. "I'm gonna go get some Blix!"

"Not too much," I ordered. "Remember what happened last time you had too much Blix?"

"Yeah, yeah," Nicole said, distracted, heading over to the Blix machine. I sighed, and started for my room. It was a pretty easy walk. Just down the hall, to the right, third door on the left.

The whole time as I walked down the halls, the camera was on.

"I am now going to the room to get some papers," I spoke to the future viewers of the video. "Try not to fall asleep."

As I turned the corner to my hall, I saw that our dorm room door was wide open. Camera still on, I was about to walk into the room when I geared the camera towards the center of the room and my eyes went wide.

CHASE A LORI WERE KISSING.

Zoey's boyfriend and Zoey's enemy were kissing! I gasped silently, realizing I had proof…

Right on my camera…

I couldn't believe this. I was only here for two weeks and it was already obvious to me that Chase loved Zoey. He even said so, like, a million times…

**FLASHBACK**

_"Zoey, are you okay?" Chase asked concerned, putting his arm around Zoey._

_"She likes you," she said simply._

_"She likes Chase?" Michael asked, amazed. She nodded._

_"Well, that sucks for her, because I'm in love with the girl sitting right next to me," Chase promised. She smiled._

_They were too perfect for each other._

**END FLASHBACK**

It didn't make any sense. Why would Chase ever cheat on Zoey? That was like saying that Nicole would date a chicken nugget. On the other hand…she might've…

If it was a "hot" chicken nugget…

Nonetheless, I still had to tell Zoey.

I frantically ran through the hallways and out the doors of the lounge, noticing one of my bracelets had fallen off. _I'll get it later…_ I heard Nicole say something but didn't listen. I speeded by the library and accidentally slammed into Logan.

"Sorry," he apologized. I didn't have time for this!

"Can't talk, need to find Zoey!" I yelled frantically, and rushed by him. Ah, finally, Maxwell Hall!

I ran through the halls, getting many confused looks by some annoying guys.

I busted through room 36, only to hear words that shattered my hearts into a million pieces.

"You guys, I do not like Lola and I never will! I barely even know her! I just met her, like, 2 weeks ago! Get the picture?"

And to make it even worse…

They came outta of Michael Barrett's mouth.

Time to act…Sigh.

**Michael's POV**

"Where the heck is Logan?" I asked the remaining people in the room…A.K.A Zoey and Quinn. "We need to do this stupid project!"

"You're tellin' me!" Zoey agreed, but looking at Quinn. "Quinn, can't you listen to any of my ideas?"

"No!" Quinn yelled. "Because you are not listening to mine! You gawked at geckos, "eww"ed at emus, the whole sha-bang! You're not the only one annoyed!"

"You guy!" I yelled beyond the bickering. "Stop! STOP!" They had finally shut up. "You guys fight like its World War III! Why don't you do the project about your argument?"

"Oh, I see what you mean!" Zoey agreed. "Quinn. How about we do a project about our different ideas? It could be really cool, and we could add some fake arguments and stuff!"

"I like it!" Quinn confirmed, satisfied.

"Great, wonderful, one problem solved!" I yelled. "Now, help with mine? TODAY?" I swear, if Logan failed this project for me, I would stuff him in a badger hole.

Last year, we had worked on a science project where you light something on fire with a magnifying glass and the sun. But Logan used a mirror instead, and it exploded **(A/N: For the record, I don't know if that will actually occur. So yeah)**.

Mr. Killmanger lost his hair that day…

And I lost my A average.

"You're just cranky 'cause you got partnered with Logan but you wanted Lola," Zoey said matter-of-factly. Oh, god. Was she serious?

"Look who's talking," I smirked. "I don't see you jumping up and down with happiness about Chase's partner." Zoey crossed her arms and looked at me knowingly.

"It's true, isn't it?" Zoey asked, happy with her "discovery." "You _do_ like Lola! Right?"

"You definitely do." Quinn put in. "I calculated the possibility and it's 99.999999999623568585 – "

"I get it!" I yelled at them. "You guys, I do not like Lola and I never will! I barely even know her! I just met her, like, 2 weeks ago! Get the picture?"

For the record…

Lies. All of it.

I was falling in love with Lola more and more everyday.

All of a sudden, someone cleared their throat behind us. I turned around, and my eyes went wide as I saw who it was.

"Lola!" I said in shock. She smiled.

"Hi. Mike." If I didn't know she was an actress, then I would've believed that smile.

"Umm…I…"

"It's fine." She said, dismissing me. "I don't like you either. It's cool."

I hoped in my heart she was only acting.

"Uh, sure, okay, that's cool…" I said, trailing off. There was a long silence. A long, awkward silence. _I'm an idiot…why can't I just tell her how I feel? God, no, I'm turning into another Chase! Next thing you know I'll wake up one morning with a bushy mess on top of my head!_

"Wow," Quinn said suddenly. "This is really awkward!"

Thank you, Quinn.

NOT.

Lola shook her head, as if remembering something.

"Zoe, I really need to talk to you!" she told Zoey frantically.

"Okay…" Zoey said. Lola grabbed Zoey's arm and they headed out into the hall.

Probably some girl talk. There was an awkward silence between Quinn and I.

I was pretty much afraid a rabid gecko would come outta nowhere and attack me. It was Quinn, after all. Ya never knew.

"I'm gonna go," Quinn told me and left.

**Zoey's POV**

"So…?" she asked. "Does this have to do with Michael?" I really wanted her to admit she liked him so we could all get on with our lives. I now knew how everyone felt about Chase and I.

Sigh.

Chase. God, did I love him. So much.

"No, Zoe!" she corrected. "Just listen to me!" I nodded. "I'm going to show you a video. It's something that you will not want to see, but you need to see, okay?"

Huh? What was she even talking about?

I nodded. "Okay."

She opened the screen on her camera and hesitantly pushed playback.

Something in my gut told me this wasn't god news…

**A/N: OUCH. That cliffy was pretty mean. Bwahahaha!!! Don't hate me. Even though it pains me to write this stuff, lol. Hey, guess what time it is? (Imaginary crowd shouts REVIEW TIME!) And what do you do at review time?**

**REVIEW! PRETTY PLEASE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP?**

**FutureStArLeT101**


	6. Would You Believe You

**Summary:** Sequel to Reawakening The Past. Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything's about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title. Summary kind of stinks, but the story is really good, I promise!

**A/N: **This chapter's not a happy one. Just saying. Sorry!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Zoey 101.

**Accepting The Present**

**Chapter 6:**

**Would You Believe You**

**Zoey's POV**

"Lola, what is…?" I stopped dead in my tracks as the tape started.

It was Lori…kissing some guy.

"Zoey?" Lola questioned.

"Who was that?" I asked, referring to the guy she was swapping DNA with. Lola sighed, pressed playback again, a sad look on her face, and zoomed in.

Realization hit me like a gunshot.

_No…it couldn't be. No! No! It is…it's…_

"Chase." I swallowed hard. Tear were blurring my vision. I couldn't think straight.

The world was closing in on me…_Help! I need air! I need air!_

"Zoey! Zoey! Are you okay?" Lola screamed at me, shaking me out of my trance. "Zoey!"

I stared at her. "I'm fine." I lied, and gave a sad smile, my voice cracking. "I mean, this was bound to happen, right? First my parents, now Chase…" Lola blinked twice.

"What are you talking about?" she questioned.

"Nothing…" I sighed. I felt like nothing right now.

I couldn't help but think that maybe this is a huge misunderstanding. I mean, Lori was related to pure evil…maybe this was all part of her plan…and she did like Chase…

"So, what now?" Lola asked sadly.

"I think I'm gonna give him a chance to explain himself." I told her. "You heard Lori. She likes Chase. Maybe this is just one big mistake."

"You sure about that, Zoe?" Lola asked with slight uncertainty in her voice. "I really don't wanna see you get hurt like I did with Michael." Her eyes widened as she said that. "No! No! I did not say that! No way!"

"Yes you did!" I pointed out happily. "I knew you liked him."

I knew it!

Lola and Michael sittin' in a tree…

K-I-double S-I-N-G.

"I do not!" she argued.

"Too late for that, you said so!" I said with a smile. "I'm sure he likes you back. Positive, actually." Lola rolled her eyes.

"That's not what he said." She sighed, referring to what he said when he walked in.

**FLASHBACK**

_"It's true, isn't it?" I asked, happy with my discovery. "You do like Lola! Right?"_

_"You definitely do." Quinn put in. "I calculated the possibility and it's 99.999999999623568585 – "_

_"I get it!" Michael yelled. "You guys, I do not like Lola and I never will! I barely even know her! I just met her, like, 2 weeks ago! Get the picture?"_

_Puh-lease. Even Nicole could figure out that wasn't true. He was so in love with her._

_Lola cleared her throat._

_"Lola!" Michael said in shock. _

**END FLASHBACK**

Poor Lola.

Poor me.

Everything was going wrong these days.

"Don't worry!" I reassured. "Come with me. I need to talk to Chase…now."

**Chase's POV**

It was lunch time…but I couldn't eat. How was I going to live with myself? How? Seriously, how? Could someone please answer? Please?

'Kay. Looks like I was on my own.

I didn't do anything wrong. But then why did I feel so dirty?

Maybe it was because I never found Logan's mouthwash…

Oh, god, who was I kidding? I was keeping this from Zoey! That was why! No denying it.

I didn't have to heart to tell Zoey, though. She wouldn't believe me. I was sure that Lori would somehow find a way to twist it around in her own sick way. I couldn't hurt Zoey like that. I couldn't lose Zoey like that. No one saw…so I was in the clear…right? And –

"Chase?" Dana waved a hand in front of my face.

"Huh? Wha…?" I mumbled.

"You okay, man?" Michael asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, 'cause you don't look okay." Nicole pointed out. "You look pretty un-okay to me."

"I agree with Nicole," Monte said with a laugh. Whoa. Why was he here? When did he get here?

"He's with me," Dana sighed, referring the evil dude next to her. "We have to finish our video project. We're doing a documentary on fights. We've been around campus and have been taping random fights!" Quinn gasped.

"Dana, that's wrong!" she gasped. It was true. You couldn't go around taping other people's business.

But honestly…I wasn't the right guy to be determining what was right and what was wrong.

"Anyways," Dana continued, ignoring Quinn's truthful comment. "What's going on in your bushy head?"

"Nothing, it's just – " I saw Lola and Zoey walking towards the table. Zoey had a smile on…but it looked sorta fake.

"Hi, guys!" Lola greeted, taking a seat next to Nicole. Zoey took the empty seat next to Lola…and me.

"Hey Zoe!" I said with a smile. "So...how's your project going?" Zoey shrugged.

"Good, I guess." She told me. "Quinn and I are doing a project about what to do for the project. It's gonna be cool."

"Nice," I commented, slight relief filling me. _She doesn't know yet…phew._

"So," she scooted close to me. "Anything you need to tell me?" The whole table exchanged confused glances except for Lola and Monte.

"Uh, no, I don't think so…" I told her. _Lie. Liar. Lies. Lying._

Zoey read my expression. "Are you _sure_?" I nodded. Hurt and anger filled her face. She stood up.

Uh oh. I was done for…I think…

"I gave you a chance, Chase!" she told me sadly, then turned angry again. "Explain this!" She grabbed Lola's video camera off the table and pushed playback. My eyes widened as I saw what it was.

The whole table gasped in disbelief.

"Well?" Zoey asked, looking as if she was about to explode into tears. "Do you have anything to say? At all?"

Fear haunted my face. I felt like kicking myself in the head. Hard. Like, concussion hard. So hard that I tumbled into darkness where I deserved to be. I blinked back tears.

"I didn't! I wouldn't!" I told her, standing up, plead in my eyes. "She kissed me! I swear! I would never do that!"

"Even if that was true, why were going to keep it from me then?" her voice cracked. People crowded around us.

"I didn't want to hurt you!" I told her, my head down.

"And look how that stupid, little plan worked!" Zoey cried.

I looked up and into her eyes.

Hurt. Pain. Disbelief. Sadness. Tears.

Tears filled my eyes but didn't fall. Whispers filled the air. There was no one there anyone. Just me and Zoey. Face-to-face.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

She looked up at me. I couldn't believe it. Her eyes were always filled with confidence and sparkle…now…nothing. It bothered me enough on its own…but it was worse…

Because…

I had put that stare of nothingness into her eyes

_I'm an idiot. A huge, gigantic idiot. I was so lost in not hurting Zoey that I hurt her even more._

"I'm sorry, too." She said to me, hurt still everywhere. "Sorry that I ever trusted you. I'm such an idiot! You're just like all the others! You never really cared! It was all lies! All of it. So I hope you're happy. You've broken an already broken girl. Putting on a brave face and pretending I'm okay and perfect won't help me anymore. Was I not good enough for you? Is that why you had to go and cheat on me?"

"I didn't – "

"Well, great job." She yelled. "You're rid of me. You can now make out with anyone you want without telling me. We're done. I never wanna see you again!" She ran away as fast as she could. Nicole got up to follow her, but Lola told her no.

"Zoey, no!" I cried. "Please! I can explain…come…" I fell to my knees. "…back…" I stayed in that position for a while. The crowd began to go back to what they were doing.

I looked up at my friends and headed over to them…

"How could you!" Nicole screamed.

"I didn't! It was all Lori!" I told them. "Please! You guys have to believe me!"

Silence…then…

"Would you believe you?" Lola asked sadly.

I sighed. "Guess not…" I walked back inside to the guys lounge…thinking one thing and one thing only…

_What have I done?_

But I knew the answer…o-ho, did I know the answer…

I lost my girlfriend, destroyed my best friend…and…

I would never let myself live this down. Ever.

**Logan's POV**

"Did I miss something?" I asked the table, sitting down next to Lola. "And why is Monte sitting here?"

Everyone looked really depressed. Hello? I had arrived. Everyone was supposed to be all "Yay! The hottest guy in the wotld has arrived!"

"Oh yeah." Lola nodded. "You missed everything."

"And I got it on tape." Dana announced. The whole table gasped. "Monte, we're so getting an A on this project!"

"Dana!" Lola cried, shocked. "You can_not_ use that for your project!"

"Why not?" she asked, annoyed. "It's the best fight I've seen all day! And it's PCA's 'perfect' couple! It's so unexpected!"

Okay…WHAT WAS GOING ON?

"Dana!" Michael said, shocked. "Did you, by any chance, just see how destroyed one of your best friends was? And you wanna put it in your video for the whole world to see? What?"

Hello? Super hot dude confused!

"Well, it'll get us an A!" Monte agreed with Dana, backing her up.

"Ever since you've been hanging around with Monte, you've changed!" Lola yelled at her. "I can't believe you would stoop this low! It's – "

"Will someone _please_ explain to me what the heck happened?" I yelled, silencing them all. Lola handed me her camera and played it back.

"Holy crap!" I yelled. "He…that's…" Dana handed me her video camera and played it back.

"Whoa." Was all I could say. I turned to Dana. "And you're gonna put that in your project?"

"Yup!" she smiled.

"Why have you been acting so weird lately?" I asked her.

"I haven't! Gosh!" she yelled. "I'm just making new friends! Like Monte! Who get me!"

I grabbed her hand but she snatched it away. "Dana, you can tell me what's wrong! I'm your boyfriend! Remember?" She sighed and grabbed my hand.

"Come on…" she said to me. Where was she taking me?

**Normal POV**

As Dana and Logan walked away, the whole gang slowly but surely went their separate ways.

A brother and a sister met up near the quad.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"Great." He told her. "Zoey broke up with that Matthews kid. Nice job."

"I knew stealing Lola's papers and putting them back in our room would make her come. It was perfect!" she grinned evilly. "Ready for the next step?"

"I don't know…" he sighed. "I dunno if I can do this one. She's nice. I might even like her."

"Just stick with the plan!" she commanded. "For mom and dad."

_Meanwhile…_

Zoey Brooks walked alone by the lake. She didn't understand. She just didn't. But she knew she had to do it. She just didn't know it would cause so much pain. Where had her confidence gone?

Chase Matthews sat by himself in the boy's lounge. He hated Lori. He hated this all. Even himself. This was his fault. He knew it was. He didn't understand why Lori was so bitter. He didn't understand anything anymore. Especially love.

Dana Cruz walked across the halls of Brenner Hall. Logan needed to know the truth…even if she hated it more than anything…

Logan Reese was confused. Why would Chase cheat on Zoey? He had to put up with his annoying Zoey crisis for a year…and than he goes does that. And where was Dana taking him? Not understanding wasn't new to him…but this was just out of hand.

Lola Martinez lay down on her bed in room 101, unaware of Dana and Logan approaching. She was upset. Upset that her friend was upset. And that Michael didn't like her. She couldn't believe that she even thought otherwise for a second. Actresses are supposed to see through to people's true essence…right?

Michael Barrett stood in his room shooting crumbled papers into his garbage can basketball hoop. What was he to do? Lola thought he didn't like her. Well, he didn't like her. He loved her. He wanted her to know…but…he now knew that she didn't love him. Hey, she was an actress…but then again, he wasn't…

Nicole Bristow was the only remaining person at the table, slowly eating her cantaloupe. She felt so suckish for all her friends. Little did she know…

She was next…

All were thinking the same thing: _What will become of this?_

**A/N: Wow. That was pretty intense. Aren't I mean, leaving y'all like that? Anyways, hold on, this story's about to get G-O-O-D.**

**Review, por favor!:)**

**FutureStArLeT101**


	7. No Heart Instead Of A Broken One

**Summary:** Sequel to Reawakening The Past. Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything's about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title. Summary kind of stinks, but the story is really good, I promise!

**A/N: Not much to say in this particular A/N. Sorry. Here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Zoey 101. I also do not own **_Behind These Hazel Eyes_**, by Kelly Clarkson.

**Accepting The Present**

**Chapter 7:**

**No Heart Instead Of A Broken One**

**Dana's POV**

"Okay, where are we going?" Logan questioned, slightly angry. Ugh.

I sighed. "I need to tell you something." I opened the door to room 101 with my key and motioned for him to follow.

"What?" he asked, kinda concerned now. I sighed. I dunno. I just had this feeling that everyone would hate me after I told. They would call me a traitor…or…something.

"Okay, the truth is…" I took a deep breath. "Monte is – "

"Whoa, wait a minute!" he said suddenly and angrily. "I get what this is about!" Huh?

"Logan, what are you – "

"You're cheating on me with Monte, aren't you?"

WHAT? WHY WOULD HE EVEN SAY THAT?

"No, Logan! That's not – "

"And you were gonna break up with me!" he said, astonished. "I'm onto your little plan now!" He waved his finger at me and backed away. I couldn't believe my ears? What was going on?

"Logan, Stop!" I cried.

"No, so you can dump me for a Hevenofsky?" I yelled. "I don't think so, Cruz. We're done." He stomped out the door and slammed it behind him.

I just stood there in shock of what just happened. And so fast. What? How?

I sighed. Everything was going wrong.

_What a jerk…he didn't even hear me out_. I plopped onto my bed, the lower bunk, millions of annoying questions buzzing in my head. I felt like the walls were closing in on me.

I refused to cry. Danger Cruz did not cry under any circumstances. It just didn't work that way.

I now had to pretend I had no heart instead of a broken one. Great. I turned on my bed to the side and jumped twelve feet in the air when I saw Lola staring at me from across the room on her top bunk.

"Um…hey Lola…" I said, trying to sound not-upset. "Didn't see ya there…"

She climbed down her ladder and approached me. "I heard what happened with you and Logan…you okay?" I sighed.

"Do you want the fake Danger Cruz answer or the real answer?" I asked her sadly. She sat down next to me.

"The real one," she urged on.

"No." I said honestly. "I'm really not."

"Logan's a jerk for not listening to you." Lola stated. I nodded, "duh's" going through my head. "You wanna tell me what's been goin' on? 'Cause honestly, we're all extremely confused." I thought for a moment. "I won't tell anyone. Please?" I sighed and took another deep breath.

"Okay…" I started, then shut my eyes. "Monte is my cousin." Lola's eyes went wide.

"How?" she asked, amazed. And when I explained the story to her, she couldn't believe it.

**Normal POV**

**_The next day…_**

****Nicole Bristow walked with her lunch tray out of the line. She bought Caesar salad, mangos, and apple juice. She entered the area where all the tables were but stopped dead in her tracks. Where was she to sit?

Near the end of the area, Zoey was sitting by herself, and by the looks of it, she wanted it to stay that way.

Dana and Lola were at a table not far away, in a deep conversation, and Chase was sitting at the far end of that table, looking depressed.

When had Dana and Lola become such good friends?

Michael and Logan were at a table far, far away, probably talking about boyish stuff.

Quinn was at a table with Mark, and they were feeding each other broccoli and cheese.

She had nowhere to sit. Pretty much. Expect by herself.

So she did, and she sat in silence for a few minutes. It took her a while (shocking!) but then it hit her…

She felt lonely.

She knew somehow she would be pulled into this mess. Tears threatened to fall but then she heard a voice.

'Hey, Nicole. Mind if I sit with you?" She looked up and smiled.

"Sure," she agreed, still grinning. He sat down.

"So, what's wrong?" he asked, obviously concerned.

"I feel like my friends have all parted separate ways." She confessed with a sigh. "It sucks more than a chipped manicure."

"Oh, I'm sorry." He added. 'But I think I know a way to cheer you up." She perked up a little.

"Really? How?" she said excitedly.

"You wanna go out with me? To dinner?" he asked calmly. "Like on a date?"

Nicole grinned happily, butterflies in her stomach. "Sure, Monte. I'd love to."

**Zoey's POV**

I was still sort of in denial.

"I still don't understand," I confessed to Quinn after 15 minutes straight of silence. We were _supposed_ to be working on our project. All I was doing was sitting there, my heart shattering more and more by the heartbeat.

"No one does," she spoke out. "Not even me."

"But with her?" I cried. Tears threatened to fall but I didn't let them. _Pull yourself together Zoey! You got over heartbreak once…you can do it again. He took a part of you, but not all of you. The only people worth crying over are the ones that would never make you cry…_

But I just felt so empty. Chase Matthews was my other half…at least, I _thought_ he was…

Quinn waited a few moments. "Do you still love him, Zoey?" I wasn't even going to think about answering that question.

"Let's just get back to the stupid project!" I dismissed. I turned on the camera and we proceeding with our discussion about our project.

"What is so wrong with a video about volcanoes?" Quinn yelled. "Everyone loves them! They're so cool! They blast out hot, freaky lava!"

"That kills hundreds of people!" I defended. "Can't we just do, like, a music video or something?"

"No!" Quinn shouted. "How about a gorilla chase?"

I stopped dead in my tracks and my heart felt hollow. My face was frozen in hurt. Quinn's eyes widened.

"Zoey, what's the matter?" she asked, concerned. "Zoey? Zoey? ZOEY?" I walked over and turned off the camera.

She said _chase_.

_Chase._

"I'm going for a walk!" I told her suddenly.

"Do you want me to – "

"No, I'll be back soon."

**Normal POV**

She just needed time to think.

But lately, thinking things through wasn't exactly her forte.

She walked along the beach in silence as the sweltering sun warmed her heartbroken face. But even the sun couldn't take away that depressibly serious, icy stare in her eyes.

_**Seems like just yesterday**_

_**You were a part of me**_

**_I used to stand so tall. I used to be so strong_**

_**Your arms around me tight**_

_**Everything, it felt so right**_

_**Unbreakable, like nothing could go wrong**_

She kicked a seashell that lay all alone in the middle of her path. Her eyes watered.

Seashells.

**FLASHBACK**

_"So, what'd you do at the beach?" I asked Chase over the phone in the middle of August. He had just gotten back from his trip to Bethany Beach with his friend's family._

_"The usual stuff," he said casually. "Walked around, went to some places, looked for seashells…"_

_"Did you find any of those really cool ones?" I asked excitedly._

_"What do you mean?" he questioned._

_"Well, this is gonna sound so dumb – "_

_"Nothing you say is dumb," he reminded me. I smiled and held the phone closer to my hear._

_"Thanks," I continued. "Well, I've looked for seashells before, like last year at PCA, but I never found any of those spiral ones. They're gorgeous, and I've always wanted one. I would've just bought one, but it didn't feel right."_

_"How poetic!" he commented._

_"Thank you, you're too sweet," I said with a laugh._

_A week or so later, a package arrived. I ripped it open and found a box about the size of a football wrapped in gold and pink paper. I opened the note._

_Dear Zoey,_

_Found this at Bethany Beach. I thought you would like it. It's special, like you. Okay, I'll stop chees-ifying this letter now. I hope you like it._

_Love,_

_Chase_

_I opened it and gasped._

_A large, pink and blue spiral seashell, still a little wet from the ocean. Tears of happiness stung my eyes._

_I had Chase Matthews._

_I was the luckiest girl in the whole world…_

**END FLASHBACK**

She never wanted to see another seashell ever again. She picked up the shell and threw it onto a big boulder, smashing it into a million pieces…

Just like her heart.

**_Now I can't breathe_**

_**No, I can't sleep**_

_**I'm barely hanging on**_

_**Here I am, once again**_

_**I'm torn into pieces**_

_**Can't deny it, can't pretend**_

_**Just thought you were the one**_

_**Broken up, deep inside**_

_**But you won't get to see the eyes I cry**_

_**Behind these hazel eyes**_

****All of a sudden, she saw a head of bushy hair in the distance.

He called her name. She ran.

Chase Matthews was in the mood for a walk, too. Little did he know who else was.

He saw his (ex?) best friend and she saw him. He knew this because she began to run. He did the only thing he could do; run after her.

"Zoey!" he screamed, all his emotion flowing out of that one one. "Will you please hear me out? Please?"

Zoey just kept running, even though she didn't truly want to. It was what she had to do. Her brain told her to run. So she did. She couldn't believe she ever trusted him…or anyone.

Now, she was broken.

Not that she wasn't before…

**_I told you everything_**

_**Opened up and let you in**_

_**You made me feel alright**_

_**For once in my life**_

_**Now all that's left of me**_

_**Is what I pretend to be**_

_**So together but so broken up inside.**_

****She ran until her legs were about to fall off, then leaned against a palm tree, catching her breath. She reached for her key necklace for comfort, only to realize it wasn't there anymore. _Guess I dropped it on the way…_

**_'Cause I can't breathe_**

**_No, I can't sleep_**

**_I'm barely hanging on_**

_**Here I am, once again**_

**_I'm torn into pieces_**

**_Can't deny it, can't pretend_**

**_Just thought you were the one_**

**_Broken up, deep inside_**

**_But you won't get to see the eyes I cry_**

**_Behind these hazel eyes_**

****Then, Zoey Brooks began to cry.

Even though she tried her very hardest not to…

_**Swallow me then spit me out**_

**_For hating you, I blame myself_**

**_Seeing you it kills me now_**

**_No, I don't cry on the outside_**

**_Anymore..._**

Here I am, once again

**_I'm torn into pieces_**

**_Can't deny it, can't pretend_**

**_Just thought you were the one_**

**_Broken up, deep inside_**

**_But you won't get to see the tears I cry_**

_**Behind these hazel eyes**_

**_  
Here I am, once again_**

**_I'm torn into pieces_**

**_Can't deny it, can't pretend_**

**_Just thought you were the one_**

**_Broken up, deep inside_**

**_But you won't get to see the tears I cry_**

**_Behind these hazel eyes_**

****"Aww…look who's sad!" Someone mocked from behind the tree. Zoey Brooks looked up.

Loretta Hevenofsky.

**A/N: I left you guys with many questions again, didn't I? How is Dana related to Monte? I know you're thinking there's no way possible…but…there is. There's somewhat of a hint in chapter 2 (not including prologue) of Reawakening The Past…look REALLY closely at one of the flashbacks…again, it wouldn't tell you a lot, almost nothing, but it would leave you with another question. My only advice…LOOK AT DETAILS! Poor Zoey. What does Loretta want now? Only I know.**

**Byeas! Review!**

**FutureStArLeT101**


	8. I Couldn't Do It

**Summary:** Sequel to Reawakening The Past. Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything's about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title. Summary kind of stinks, but the story is really good, I promise!

**A/N: **

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Zoey 101. I also do not own **_Behind These Hazel Eyes_**, by Kelly Clarkson.

**Accepting The Present**

**Chapter 8:**

**I Couldn't Do It**

**Normal POV**

"What do you want?" Zoey asked angrily, wiping her tears.

"I find pain amusing," Loretta laughed evilly.

"Can you seriously stand there and just laugh?" Zoey questioned, standing up.

"Hmm. Dunno." She thought a moment, then laughed. "Oh. What do you know; I can!"

Zoey rolled her eyes, and walked away.

"Yeah, go run off to your boyfriend!" she laughed. "Wait, never mind, he cheated on you…with me!"

Then, Zoey saw something strange. Nicole was walking off somewhere…with MONTE.

"Nicole?" she asked quietly. This made Nicole jump. Zoey hadn't spoken a word to her since the incident. Honestly, she only person she had talked to was Quinn.

"Oh, hi Zoe." She said and smiled.

"What's going on?" Zoey asked.

"Oh," Nicole smiled. "I'm going on a date with Monte. Isn't that GREAT?"

"Ya," I faked a smile, for her sake. "Have fun…"

"We will, bye Zoe!" she screamed, grabbed his hand and ran off.

It seemed like everyone was happy except for her.

Nicole had Monte.

Dana and Lola were becoming best friends

Michael will definitely get together with Lola.

Dana and Logan might've been broken up, but Zoey knew they still loved each other.

And Chase had his stupid make-out buddy. He didn't need her.

_But you need him…_

Zoey shook her head. **_No, I don't. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself._**

_When are you going to realize that you don't always have to be the bravest?_

Stupid conscience.

**Nicole's POV**

"This is, like, the best sushi I've ever had at this place!" I squealed. And it totally was. Like really! "Who knew California Rolls weren't only in California?"

"Uh, a few people." Monte laughed. "So, tell me about yourself." _Ah, he's so cute!_

I smiled shyly. "What about me?"

"Uh, tell me about….your family!" he suggested.

"'Kay, well," I started to talk. "I have three sisters. Caitlyn, she's 7, Emily, she's 10, and Lauren, she's 16."

"Oh, so it must get kinda crazy." He guessed.

"Oh, yeah." I sighed. "Did you know that little sisters can find a zillion ways to steal your stuff **(A/N: It's true. TRUST ME.)**?"

"Well, I dunno about that, but…" he paused. "Back where I, uh, used to live, there were little girls younger than me there, and they were really annoying."

"Ouch. How many?" I asked.

"Oh, a ton." He sighed. "Way too many for one fos – " He stopped.

"Come again?" I asked him to repeat. God, how annoying was it when someone said something so fast and long that you could barely understand what they're saying and then you have to ask them over and over and over to repeat what they're saying 'cause – Ok, I was being a tad hypocritical.

Okay, very.

"Um, nothing, never mind." He dismissed the subject. "So, what do you like to do for fun?"

"Shopping!" I answered, smiling. _I can't believe how much he cares. No one ever asks me about this kinda stuff. They just assume. _"And…well…I've never told anyone, but I've always wanted to take singing classes. I love to sing. And my music teacher from elementary school said I was really amazing and yeah."

"Cool, can you sing something?" he requested.

"Um…well…" I had never sang in front of anyone before, besides my music teacher, but she was, like, old and wrinkly… "Okay," I heard myself say. "What should I sing?"

"Uh, sing something that you're thinking about." He suggested. _SQUEAL! He's so deep! Hee hee._

"Okay…" I agreed. "Ooh, how 'bout High School Musical? I loooooove that movie."

"Cool, yeah." He smiled. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"This could be the start of something new

It feels so right to be hear with you, ohh

And now, looking in your eyes

I feel in my heart…

The start of something new."

I opened my eyes and he looked amazed. Or amazing. Or both. Yes, BOTH.

"You're an amazing singer," he complimented. I blushed.

"Thanks!" I thanked him happily. Kazu approached us

"Here's your check, sir." He gave Monte the check. Monte took out a wallet.

"I can pay, too." I offered, taking my purse off my chair.

"No, it's on me." He said, flashing a smile. _Um. Is it possible for a girl to actually melt from happiness?_

He gave money to Kazu.

"So…I think we should head back to our dorms now…it's getting a little late." He offered.

"Mhm, I'm exhausted." I confessed. "But I had lots of fun."

"Ditto," he agreed. "Here, I'll walk you back to your dorm."

"'Kay," I smiled shyly. We walked in silence to Brenner Hall, but it was a good kinda silence.

We finally reached the door and we stood, face-to-face.

"Well…good-night…" he said quietly. WE stared into each other's eyes.

_This is it! Ooh I'm so excited! _We leaned in and my eyes fluttered closed. Our lips were about to touch when –

"I can't do this!" he blurted out. Huh?

"What?" I cried, feeling my heart breaking.

"I can't go through with this!" he yelled. "I was supposed to kiss you…then break up with you…"

"_What? _Why would you – " I could feel tears coming.

"I'm sorry, I, I, I need to, bye!" He sped down the hall before any words were said.

Me?

I sunk down against the wall next to room 101…

And cried until my mascara ran.

**Monte's POV**

I ran down the hall and into my room, slamming the door in anger. _Stupid plan!_

"So, how'd it go?" Lori asked, smiling evilly, obviously waiting for my return by invading my room.

"Look, I just couldn't do it!" I confessed. And who could? You know what…screw revenge. What did I even have to do with anything? "I actually do like her! I couldn't just go break her heart like that!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" she screamed, frustrated. "I _cannot _believe you went soft on me!"

"Well, believe it." I yelled, annoyed. "I'm done helping you with your freakin' revenge!" She looked away sadly.

"Are you telling me," she said slowly. "That some ditzy brunette you barely know is more important than mom and dad?" I bowed my head in sadness.

"They're not really my parents," I sighed. Why did my so-called "sister" have to be so cruel?

"So?" she said obnoxiously. "You were the only one who didn't find a home at the foster house! Mom took you when no one else would!"

'That doesn't mean she cares!" I screamed. _Ugh. No. I can't start crying. No way in hell am I gonna start crying. _"She beat me up, just like the others kids! I'm starting to think I should be on their side…on my cousin's side…I know what they went through."

**FLASHBACK (NORMAL POV)**

_Nine-year old Monte stood alone in the empty hallways of Hevenofsky Foster House. After people stopped bringing kids to her foster house, Yolanda Hevenofsky decided to shut it down and start up a career as a substitute teacher, as she had a degree in history teaching._

_That day, many people came and adopted all the children. This was two years after Zoey Brooks and Chase Matthews left._

_Anyway, every child there was adopted…_

_All except Monte. No one ever wanted Monte._

_Monte Cruz was born an orphan. He didn't have memories of his parents at all. He lived with his Aunt, Uncle and cousins for the first 5 years of his life, until he was sent away for an unmentionable reason, which he was framed for._

_Now everyone thought he was a monster. He was not a monster…despite the nickname everyone would call him: "Montster."_

_"Any freakish children still left in here?" Yolanda screeched._

_"Um, I'm here, ma'am." Monte said quietly. Yolanda walked down the hall and smirked._

_"Tsk, tsk, Lamonte." She shook her head. "I guess no one loves you. Loser."_

_"It's MONTE!" he screamed, feeling tears coming. "And my uncle and aunt love me! And my cousin Dana!"_

_"Then why'd they send you away, you little piece of rat muffin?" she asked meanly._

_"'Cause I was framed!" he screeched._

_"Come on, Montster, you're coming with me!" she ordered, grabbing his wrist._

_"I'm not a monster!" he yelled, trying to get away. "And I want a real family!"_

_"Well, too bad!" she yelled, dragging him outside and into the car. "You're stuck with me and Loretta!"_

_Loretta stuck out her tongue. "It's Lori. Hi, Monte."_

_"I hate you!" Monte screamed, as the door slammed shut, his face as red as fire._

_"Too late for sweet-talk, Montster!" Yolanda screamed, as the car drove away_

_"My name is Monte," he said quietly, looking out the window. A single tear trickled down his face. "Not Lamonte, not Montster. Monte…"_

**END FLASHBACK (END NORMAL POV)**

"So what?" she said, rolling her eyes. "Imagine what it was like being her child."

"I'm just saying, I'm not destroying people's lives." I told her.

"Even when those people destroyed mine?" Lori yelled.

"They didn't do anything purposely to harm you!" I defended. "And I really like Nicole. What did she even do? Nothing! She's the only one who might actually love me for real, and you and your idiotic plan ruined that!"

Lori actually looked a little sad. "But – "

"But nothing! I quit!" I yelled. "And if I could quit being your brother to take back the name Cruz I'd quit that, too!" I ran out of the room, slamming the door…

And bumped into Chase.

Oh, crap.

**Dana's POV**

It was 9:00. Zoey was out somewhere…who knew…and Nicole was on her date. She was supposed to be back a while ago, but Lola and I, we're not Zoey, no offense to her. So it wasn't an issue.

"So, why did your parents send Monte away?" Lola asked, painting her pinky toe a lime green.

"Well – " I was about to answer when there was a gasp from outside.

"Nicole! What's wrong?" Zoey's voice yelled, concerned. Lola and I immediately rushed outside to find Nicole, sitting against the cold wall, her legs to her chest, mascara running down her face.

"Nicole! Oh my gosh!" Lola yelled. "What happened?" We helped her up.

"Monte, that's what happened!" she bawled, as we lead her inside. "We were –sniff- about to have our first kiss; it was perfect. And then all of a sudden he's all 'oh, I was supposed to kiss you and then dump you but I can't' and ran away-ay!" I gasped.

"Nic, my cousin did this to you?" I asked in disbelief, then covered my mouth.

_Please tell me I did NOT just say that…_

Nicole stopped crying.

Zoey's eyes went wide in curiosity and shock.

Lola mouthed "uh oh…"

"Your cousin? What are you talking about, D?" Zoey asked, confused.

"Umm…" I was toast.

**A/N: Wow. Lots of surprises in this chapter, huh? I totally turned the tables on you. Bwahaha. Hang tight; it only gets weirder. And I'll be updating my stories a lot this weekend and next weekend (I'm going away mon-fri).**

**Oh, and if you guys didn't look back for the "hint" in RTP…**

**Chapter 2 of Reawakening The Past:**

**FLASHBACK**

_Yolanda Hevenofsky walked sternly through the corridors as she did every morning. She passed by every room to make sure that each child was scrubbing the floors and walls until their little fingers were numb. She slammed the door open to the room in which Zoey, Chase, five other girls named Carly, Mara, Serena, Meghan, and Marissa, and five other boys named Ben, Harry, Jordan, Deryk, and **Monte** lived. The floors were stone a extra hard to scrub. No one ever knew how terribly kids were treated, because it looked completely normal and happy on the outside, but it was the complete opposite on the inside. Yolanda Hevenofsky was pure evil. _

**See?:) Review!**

**x Future Starlet 101 x**


	9. Away

**Summary:** Sequel to Reawakening The Past. Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything's about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title. Summary kind of stinks, but the story is really good, I promise!

**A/N: **This chapter's dedicated to xXGabbyXx. Sorry for the long wait, hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Zoey 101.

**Accepting The Present**

**Chapter 9:**

**Away**

**Dana's POV**

"Your cousin? What are you talking about, D?" Zoey asked, confused.

"Umm…" I was toast. I sighed. I had to explain. Great.

**FLASHBACK (Normal POV)**

_Six year old Dana Cruz ran along the halls of her two-story house. She had just finished drawing three new drawings and wanted to staple them together. She ran through the maroon doors, not knowing the horrible event ahead._

_She ran in to see her cousin Lamonte, his little legs standing up on a chair, pushing buttons on the microwave._

_"What are you doing?" Dana asked, crossing her small arms._

_"I wanna make popcorn," Lamonte told her, not taking his eyes off the black machine._

_"Well, you're doing it wrong!" Dana told him angrily._

_"Am not!"_

_"Are too!"_

_"Am not!"_

_"Are too!"_

_"Am not!"_

_"Move!" Dana shoved him over and, distracted by her own rage, started pushing random buttons. _

_All of a sudden, the microwave window turned black. Monte looked at it, confused, Dana next to him, and he opened it._

_Smoke poured out like a waterfall and flames began to burst. Dana screamed as the fire alarm rang. _

_"Everyone out of the house!" Marie Cruz screamed. "Out! Out!" The three of them along with the father ran outside as fast as they could. Marie called 911 on her cell phone, which she had attached to her jeans. The four watched as their home went up in flames._

_Dana was shaking uncontrollably. It was her fault. She knew it was. But she couldn't tell her mommy and daddy that._

_"Dana? What's wrong? Why are you shaking? We're all okay, the firemen are coming." Dana's mommy's voice was not comforting to her._

_"Lamonte s-started the fire!" she choked out. "He did it! On…on…purpose!"_

_Lamonte was wide-eyed. "I did?"_

_"Yeah!"_

_Dana's parents stared at her, then Lamonte, than turned to each other, shaking their heads._

_**One week later…**_

_Dana looked out her neighbor's window, where they were staying until the damage was undone. Why was Lamonte getting into a strange car? Why did he have bags? Why were mommy and daddy letting him?_

_She got scared. Where was he going? She ran downstairs as fast as her little legs could carry her and out the door. "Stop!" She started crying. "Where's Lamonte going, mommy?"_

_She would never admit it, but even though Lamonte aggravated her to no end, he was also her best friend. They were the Troublesome Two. _

_Mrs. Cruz glanced at Mr. Cruz, then leaned down so she was Dana's height. She had to think fast. "Dana, honey…um…Lamonte…he…found his real family!"_

_Dana sniffled. "Really?"_

_"Yes." She smiled._

_"Can I say goodbye?"_

_Mrs. Cruz frowned. "I would recommend not."_

_"But – " Before she could protest, the car was gone. Dana was stupid then, but not untl she met her cousin again would she know the truth…_

**End Flashback (End Normal POV)**

"…When I met Monte, we didn't recognize each other at first, 'til we became partners." Dana sighed. "Then, I found out the real reason why he was sent away: me. I blamed him for the fire when it was my fault…and I felt like I owed him my friendship…I never told him it was me who caused the fire; I was freaked." I looked away, afraid to see their reaction. Okay, fine, not afraid. I was Danger Cruz, after all, But still.

I finally looked their way. Nicole looked amazed. Lola gave me an encouraging, small smile, and Zoey…

Zoey was kinda a cross between angry and shocked.

"Dana!" she yelled. "How could you keep this from us?" I bit my lip.

"I thought you'd be mad," I said simply.

"Well, you thought right" she screamed. "So, you're in on their whole evil plan thing?" I gasped. She did not just say that.

"No, what are you – "

"What he did to Nicole!" she said angrily. "Did you approve of it? Huh?"

"Zoey, no!" I screamed. "He's the reason…" my voice got quiet. "He's the reason…Logan broke up with me."

Her face went from angry to sad. "Dana, I – "

"Save it," I held my hand up and walked out, grabbing my wallet from a nearby chair. I then wrote a note and put it between the door, but not in enough so they would see it now. The I left. I didn't even know where I was going, but I knew where I was headed.

Away.

**Chase's POV**

"Oh, sup…dude?" Monte mumbled. I raised an eyebrow.

"'Kay, you wanna skip the changing the subject and denial and cut to the chase?" I asked.

"What're you talking about?" he asked. "And what are you even doing here?"

"Well, I was looking for your 'sister'," I used the quote signs for 'sister'. "But then –oh, would you look at that! – I found out…she's not actually your sister? And she's making you guilty and mess up all our lives?"

"Okay, okay, fine," he mumbled. Progress. Good.

"You know…" I explained to him. "You can fix all of this."

"Well, maybe I don't want to. Ever think of that, Bushy Brain?" he snapped.

"Yeah, like that's the first comment I've gotten about my hair," I said sarcastically. "Look, I really like Zoey. You really like Nicole. Dana, your cousin, really likes Logan. There's no way you and your si – Lori – can destroy that. Plus, I know you don't really wanna screw everything up."

"You don't know me," he mumbled, leaning against a wall.

"This is true," I shrugged. "But I know what you're going through."

"I bet you anything you don't," he mumbled.

"My parents were both orphans," I told him sadly. "They met each other and married and then came me. But…they died in a car crash when I was only one, and I lived with these freakish people the Blurringtons. One day, they just left me. They moved away, dropped me off at Hevenofsky Foster House without any goodbye. I was alone and unloved. But then I met Zoey, and for once in my life, I felt love, like you and Nicole. Don't mean to sound all Soap Opera-ish, but…am I right?"

He was silent for a moment. "I just dunno what to do."

"You could start by explaining things to Nicole and Logan." I suggested. "And maybe then, you could convince your sister to confess to Zoey? Nothing's been the same…"

"I just don't think I can do that…" he sighed.

"Sometimes, you just gotta try." I told him and walked away.

Who knew I could be so philosophical?

**Lola's POV**

"Look, Nicole," I told her. "I know we both have boy crisis's, but we need to finish the project!"

"What's the point if doing anything?" she rolled onto her back, squashing a magazine.

"Nicole, I've never seen you so upset before!" I told her, concerned. "He's just a guy."

She sat up. "Lola, he's not just a guy!"

My eyes widened. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying…" she sighed. "He's not like those hot guys I date for, like, a day. He's special, The One. I think…" she gave a small smile. "I think I'm in love with him."

"Wow," I was amazed. "That's so great!"

"Yeah, and maybe, if everything works out, we can have a double wedding!" Nicole suggested with a small laugh.

I raised an eyebrow. "And with whom would I wed?"

"Michael, duh!"

"Um. I don't like Michael…" I denied, forgetting to act. She smirked.

"Ya you do!" she said playfully.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, fine. Fine. Maybe I do. But he'll never love me back, he said so."

"Did you just say love?" she squealed.

"I said love!" I squealed back. We screeched together, then I picked up the camera. "Hmm…I could've sworn we had 5 minutes and 3 seconds, not 29 seconds."

She shrugged. "Did you edit out that little in the lounge with the notebook etc?"

"Yep," I told her. "Let's go sleep."

**Normal POV**

It's 10 AM, and what were are main characters doing?

Zoey, Nicole, Lola and Quinn were sleeping. But little did Lola and Nicole know, they had accidentally recorded a little extra something for their project…

Lori was scheming. Monte was pondering.

Logan was thinking things through. Chase was taking a walk. Michael was, of course, in a deep sleep?

Dana?

She was on her way to the bus station.

_To go away…_

**A/N: I got this out today actually, cuz as I said, felt bad. So? Review!:)**

**x Future Starlet 101 x**


	10. Srength Is Something You Choose

**Summary:** Sequel to Reawakening The Past. Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything's about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title. Summary kind of stinks, but the story is really good, I promise!

**A/N: **This is a very important chapter in the story, so read carefully…

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Zoey 101. I also don't own **_I Learned From You_**, by Miley Cyrus.

**Accepting The Present**

**Chapter 10:**

**Srength Is Something You Choose**

**Zoey's POV**

I woke up slowly, completely not in the mood to go to class, especially English after lunch. It was my favorite subject, until I got Mr. Seezer as a teacher. Did he have a TV remote in his tongue or something? I mean, what else would go click, click, click?

Thoughts of last night ran suddenly through my head and I sighed, hating that I'd have to face all of it. "Guys! We have to get up!" Lori snored. Whatever.

Lola sat up. "Did you guys finish your projects?"

"Quinn finished ours. I owe her big time." I sighed.

"Oh," said Lola. "What about you and Monte, Dana?"

Silence.

"Dana?" Nicole echoed Lola.

Panic began to fill my chest. "Guys? Did – " I bit my lip. "Did Dana ever come back last night?"

Their eyes widened.

"I don't know!" Nicole said quietly. "We all just fell asleep…"

My shake began to shake. "Where is she then?"

"I don't know!"

"What do we do?" Lola looked like she was about to faint. It took my brain a second to act logically.

"We have to tell the DA!" We rushed out of the room, not even bothering to change, and Nicole slipped on an envelope that fell from between our door when we opened it. She picked it up and read it, and her face paled as tears began to form in her eyes.

Lola's eyes began to water, too, assuming the worst. "Ni-Nicole, wh-what does it say?"

She handed the piece of paper to us, still in complete silence.

_To Zoey, Nicole and Lola,_

_I made a decision when I walked out of this stupid door yesterday, and you can't change my mind._

_I'm running away. From everything. From Logan, from PCA, from Monte, even from you guys._

_It's not because of what you said, Zoey. It's just…everything's going wrong; I have nowhere to turn anymore._

_By now, I'm probably on a bus, or on my way to somewhere. I would tell you where, but you'd try to find me. I don't want you guys to find me, so please…don't._

_Say anything you want. Say I'm selfish, or I'm being overdramatic or stupid, say this is all part of "Monte's Plan." I just hope you guys don't hate me._

_Zoey, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about Monte. I didn't think you would understand, but I was wrong. You were always there for me, ever since you met me. Good luck with Chase. I'll miss you._

_Nicole, I know we have our disagreements and I yell at you a lot, but I really do like you and you're a great friend. Look on the bright side…you can blow your hairdryer and use IM lingo all you want now without fear of someone yelling at you. TTFN, LYL._

_Lola, we just met, but you've been such an amazing friend, and the only one who truly understood my position. Thanks for that. Thanks so much. I'll miss you A LOT. But I expect to see you in a Hollywood blockbuster soon._

_Tell Quinn I'll miss her and her psycho Quinnventions._

_Tell Chase bye, and to cut his hair. Kidding. I'll miss him._

_Lola, tell Monte the truth._

_Tell Michael he's awesome and will be missed._

_Tell Lori SCREW YOU._

_And…tell Logan I love him, even though it's over._

_-Dana_

Lola and Nicole burst into sobs.

I felt numb, like there was ice all over me. _It's my fault…I was her final straw. Me. Me. I drove Dana to the point of running away._

"We need to go after her," I said suddenly, my voice shaking.

Nicole wiped a tear away, but more fell in its place. "Sh-she said not to."

"I don't care what she said!" I cried. "Look, all I know is Dana is hurt and confused and needs her best friends right now, and presently, she's on her way to who-knows-where and if we hurry, we could stop her from making the worst decision of her life!"

Lola and Nicole nodded, lost for words.

"I'll get Coco!" Lola told us as she ran. A little while later, Lola returned with a tired-looking but ready Coco. "I told her the story."

"Wait at the road while I get the car, students," I said, with a mouth full of cotton candy. She ran as fast as a woman of her lazyness could down the hall.

The three of us ran down a numerous amount of stairs and hallways. My vision was blurred by watery eyes and fast speed and my mind was trying to keep up.

Before it could, I was in the back seat of Coco's lime green mini van. "Where are I going?"

"To the nearest bus station!" Lola said quickly. "Go! Go!"

"Okay, okay!" Coco screamed, pushing down on the pedal. There was silence now, except for the humming of the car.

"I still don't understand…" Nicole said quietly after a while. "She's such a strong person…"

"I guess even the strongest people can be weak sometimes…" Lola sighed.

Zoey finally let tears fall as she listened to her two friends speak, but they were silent ones.

Finally, Coco's car pulled up in the front of the California Bus Station.

_Dana, speak be here, and please don't be gone… _I pleaded inside my mind. _PCA just wouldn't be the same. I wouldn't be the same…_

**Normal POV**

All Dana had was three hundred dollars from babysitting in her wallet, and a pen. She didn't bring any clothes, any food, nothing.

_What do you think you're doing? _Her conscience nagged at her.

**_Leaving. Forever. _**She fought back.

_You won't survive by yourself. _It said. _You're only fourteen. This whole thing is an awful idea. Turn back now!_

It was too late to turn back now. Monte probably knew about the fire incident and how it was her fault, Logan knew that she loved him still, and she had said her goodbyes.

This was her choice. So she walked, she walked so no one would go after her.

But, deep down under her toughness, attitude, and strength, she wished someone would.

But she had told them not to, and that was that.

Dana approached the front desk inside the station after buying a banana nut muffin. There was a perky looking woman with hazel-colored hair, bright green eyes, and bright red lipstick. "Hi, welcome to the California Bus Station. My name is Corinne Everson. How many I be of service or guidance to you?"

Dana rolled her eyes. "I bet you read that off a cue card or something…"

"Actually," Corinne said, gritting her teeth. "I don't believe you have the right to question of that," then muttered under her breath. "And I have an _index_ card."

"Anyway," Dana continued. "One ticket to the Pacific Coast Airport, please."

Mr. Everson raised an eyebrow. "Exactly how old are you, miss? That's over seven hours away by bus. Do you have a parent with you?"

"Um, I'm visiting my Aunt…Kimberly. I'm supposed to meet her at the airport." I lied, and put the money into her hand. "One ticket, please."

Corinne sighed and printed it out, and handed it to her. "Have a safe trip."

"Oh, I will." Dana said sarcastically, but her tone was sad.

After a minute or two, Dana reached her bus, and it was just loading, giving her approximately 10 minutes until she had to board it.

She stood a few feet away, millions of thought running through her mind. _Am I really going to do this? I would never be able to come back; too shameful. I would never see Logan, but maybe that's a good thing. I think I would still keep in touch with my parents if I can, but they probably won't even know I'm gone. But is this whole situation really worth throwing away my life? Aren't I too strong for that?_

Zoey and her two friends entered the airport, frantically searching for their caramel hair-colored roommate.

"Dana!" Zoey screamed.

"Dana!" Lola and Nicole echoed.

"Quiet!" Corinne shouted from the front desk. "This, ladies, is an airport. A public airport. What can I do for you?"

Lola, being the closest, approached the desk, Zoey and Nicole trailing behind her.

"Did a girl a little taller than us with tan skin and caramel curly hair with an attitude happen to come here?" Lola asked quickly and hopefully, fear in her eyes, which matched Nicole's and Zoey's.

Ms. Everson thought a moment, and realization dawned on her. "Yes, she bought a ticket to the Pacific Coast Airport for 7:45 and – " The three girls dashed away right after they heard Pacific Coast Airport and ran for their lives. Well, Dana's.

They spotted her in the distance. Zoey felt relief like she's never felt before, but fear as Dana was about the walk onto the bus. "Dana! Stop!"

Dana froze in her tracks and turned around. The three girls ran up to her and pulled her into a hug. She pushed them away, starting to feel tears in her eyes.

"I thought I told you guys not to come!" she yelled, but in her heart she had wanted them to.

"Dana, this is a bad, bad, bad idea!" Nicole warned. "Please! Come back to PCA with us!"

There was silence. "I can't." She wiped her eyes before the tears fell. "I can't face Monte or Logan or anyone. " Then she said words she thought she would never say. "Look, you guys. I'm just not…strong enough."

"You're not serious!" Zoey questioned. "Are you talking about the same tough girl who stomped on Logan's foot at the Spring Fling last year, even though he was your boyfriend? And who didn't take garbage from anyone? Who stood up for me against Yolanda Hevenofsky? You're the strongest person I know."

"I'd like to see you prove it," Dana crossed her arms.

Zoey, Lola and Nicole all turned around and began talking to each other.

"I have an idea," Zoey told them weakly. "Remember Dana's birthday last year? The song we wrote for her?"

"Oh yeah!" Nicole said happily.

"Um…" Lola sighed. "I wasn't there."

"You'll join in for the choruses." Zoey offered. "It's easy."

"Gotcha." They turned around to face Dana.

"Here's your proof, D." Zoey said, as they started to sing.

**Zoey:** _Sometimes I couldn't hear what_

_  
You tried to tell me_

_  
I thought that I knew all I need to know_

_  
I didn't understand that_

_  
The doors you would open_

_  
Could take me to somewhere I wanted to go_

_  
I can be strong for you now_

_  
You taught me how_

**Zoey and Nicole: **_I learned from you_

_  
That I do not crumble_

_  
I learned that strength is_

_  
something you choose_

_  
All of the reasons_

_  
To keep on believing_

_  
There's no question_

_  
That's a lesson_

_  
I learned from you_

**Nicole: **_You know where to find all_

_  
Of my hiding places_

_  
And there are no secrets_

_  
From you I can keep_

_  
You let me know how you feel_

_  
The good and the punches_

_  
But I never knew that kind of honesty_

_  
I'm grateful for all of the times_

_  
You opened my eyes_

Lola began to catch on.

**Zoey, Nicole and Lola: **_I learned from you_

_  
That I do not crumble_

_  
I learned that strength is_

_  
something you choose_

_  
All of the reasons_

_  
To keep on believing_

_  
There's no question_

_  
That's a lesson_

_  
I learned from you_

Lola, beginning to understand the theme of the song, broke into a spontaneous third verse.

**Lola: **_You helped me to stand on my own_

_  
And I thank you for that_

_  
You saved me_

_  
You made me_

_  
And now that I'm looking back_

_  
I can saaaay_

_  
whoooooooo o ooooooah!_

**Zoey, Nicole and Lola: **_I learned from you_

_  
That I do not crumble_

_  
I learned that strength is_

_  
something you choose_

_  
All of the reasons_

_  
To keep on believing_

_  
There's no question_

_  
That's a lesson_

_  
I learned from you_

_  
I learned that strength is_

_  
something you choose_

_  
All of the reasons_

_  
To keep on believing_

_  
There's no question_

_  
That's a lesson_

_  
I learned from you_

_  
I learned from you!_

They stopped singing and looked at her.

**Dana's POV**

Great, now they got me crying. I covered my face with my hands and let them fall as they all came to hug me.

"I hate to interrupt." The driver of the bus approached them. "But, miss, are you coming on board or not?"

I looked at him, then my friends, then the bus. I smiled a very small smile. "No…I'm not."

My friends screamed and hugged me again.

"I'm so, so happy!" Nicole squealed. "Nothing would ever be the same without you."

Dana wiped her eyes again. "You losers, you're wearing your pajamas." We all laughed.

Coco approached us. "Good, you're not…not here." She looked a little bored.

"Coco, are you going to tell anyone about this?" Zoey asked.

"I have to," she said. "It's policy."

I grinned mischievously, and took out my uneaten banana nut muffin. "There's a muffin in it for you if you keep your mouth shut."

"Deal," she grabbed it and took a bite. "Let's roll."

We all laughed silently.

The funny thing was, they thought they learned from me…

But I, Dana Cruz, learned from them, that strength really _is_ something you choose…

**_Meanwhile at PCA…_**

**Lori's POV**

"For the last time, Monte, I'm not telling that blonde little miss perfect anything!" I screamed at my supposed adopted demon of a brother.

"What is this doing for you?" Monte asked, annoyed. "All you're doing is ruining lives, 6 to be exact, including mine! What do you have against these innocent people?"

"Innocent?" The word bubbled my already infuriated conscience. "INNOCENT? Do you have any idea how much I suffered because of them?"

FLASHBACK

_Dear Diary,_

_Hi, I'm Loretta Hevenofsky. I'm seven years old, that's a whole hand and two more fingers! I'm really sad right now._

_My mommy got home today and called lots of people, and strange men started coming and taking away all of Daddy's things, even his big chair._

_My daddy's chair is the best chair ever. It's red and leathery and comfy and he always read me stories on it._

_I would ask him to read another one because he stories are my favorite, and he would say, "Loretta, one day, you're going to run out of stories to hear, but if you hear one everyday, you'll have one for always." Then I would smile, "Okay Daddy."_

_But today when I got home from school, Daddy wasn't in his chair. The chair wasn't even there. It was gone._

_"Mommy, where's Daddy's chair?" I wondered, afraid._

_"Sold it," she said bored, writing stuff down on her clippyboard. _

_I started crying. "Why, mommy? Where's Daddy? Does he know you sold his special chair?"_

_"He doesn't care where he is now…" she told me._

_"WHERE IS DADDY?" I screamed. She looked at me._

_"There was a car crash today," she said to me. "Daddy's dead."_

_"DEAD?" I wasn't stupid. I kbew what dead meant. Dead meant gone forever. Dead meant you'll never see them again. DADDY CANT BE DEAD! "NO, HE'S NOT! YOU'RE LYING MOMMY!"_

_"I'm actually glad," she snorted. "I only married that man for his money anyway."_

_"TAKE THAT BACK!" I screamed through my tears. "DADDY'S NOT DEAD! HE'S NOT DEAD! HE'S GOING TO COME HOME NOW WITH A BRAND NEW CHAIR AND READ ME A NEW STORY!"_

_My mommy locked me in my room. I'm so scared, diary. I wanna run away. I want to go where Daddy is. I want to find him. I want to scream and kick at whoever sent him there and left me here with no one._

_I'm going to go to sleep now. But I'm keeping the lights on and I'm staying untucked just in case my Daddy comes to say goodnight and tuck me in._

END FLASHBACK

"Lori, destroyed their lives isn't gonna fix yours!" he screamed at me. Those words cut like a thousand knives, 'cause I knew they were true. "Maybe you can take your evil genius mind and do something good with it. What's better, having a bad life and ruining lives, or having a bad life and making other people's lives better?" With that, he slammed the door, leaving me to my thoughts…

**A/N: As I said, this chapter gives out a lot of info. Do you Think Monte finally got through to Lori? And what will happen when Logan finds out about this or they meet again? What will happen in English class? Stay tuned!**

**ColorsOfTheSky101**


	11. Fate

**Summary:** Sequel to Reawakening The Past. Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything's about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title. Summary kind of stinks, but the story is really good, I promise!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Zoey 101.

**Accepting The Present**

**Chapter 11:**

**Fate**

When the girls got back to their dorm to get ready for the rest of the morning classes, Dana approached her bed and noticed a letter placed upon it.

"Dana, look's like you got mail!" Nicole chirped. "I bet you're happy you stayed now!"

"Filled with joy," Dana answered sarcastically, and shredded the letter open and read the printed words inside her head:

_To Mademoiselle Dana Cruz,_

_Bonjour! Congratulations Ms. Cruz! We have reviewed your application and school records and have decided that we are happy and proud to have you attend Paris Academy next year as a new student! We-_

Dana stopped reading and froze, as the folded paper dropped gracefully to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Lola questioned her friend.

"Um, nothing, of course." Dana put on a brave face. "I need to…I need to make a phone call." She began walking towards the door.

"But, D, you'll miss Math." Zoey reminded her, worried.

"Please, Math will miss _me_." Dana rolled her eyes, grabbed the fallen note, and ran out the door.

"Wait, how can Math miss her?" Nicole wondered, confused. "It has other people in it's class, right?"

"Nicole, get dressed." Zoey sighed.

Meanwhile, Dana ran through the halls, searching for a pay phone to use. _I thought I told her I didn't want to go to that stupid French school…Oh no…Crap._

**Lola's POV**

"Okay, class _–click-_!" Mr. Seezer tried to quiet the class, but everyone kept talking. Zoey, Lola, Nicole and I were worried about Dana. During period 3, the period before lunch, the office had called in saying Dana was sick. She didn't show during lunch, and she wasn't here now in fifth period English. After what happened this morning, we were all scared she'd run away again.

"She did seem really, really upset after she read that letter." Lola sighed.

"Yeah, and she started caring about Math's feelings." Nicole added. We all groaned.

"Nic, Math doesn't have feelings, only equations." Zoey explained.

"Then why did – ?"

"Silence class _–click-_!" Then room finally silenced for a exasperated Mr. Seezer. He brightened up. "Excellent-click-! Today, as you all know, is…presentation of your videos day_-click-_!"

_Ooh, clever name, Mr. Seezer. Very clever…_

"Who would like to go first-click-?" the annoying teacher inquired us. No one raised their hands, of course. "How about…Michael and Logan?" They got up and handed their DVD to Mr. Seezer.

From what I heard, they were fighting between a documentary about surviving without potato chips and about the death of…a broken mirror. So, in short, they both made a documentary about how they first came upon both of these.

"_I was five and I had never been in my dad's room before. So I walked in…and saw a mirror…five feet wide, six feet fall…that's when it all started, ladies._"

No need to say who that was…

I decided to pass a note to Zoey:

_Hey Zoe, how are things with Chase?_

She read the note and sighed as she answered.

_**Still haven't talked to him, Lola.**_

I understood why, it was just that, Zoey loved him, and he loved Zoey, and something just didn't seem right, I had only known Chase for a little, but I already knew that he wasn't that kinda guy.

_What if I didn't get the whole story? I just caught a second of that scenario. For all you know, Lori could've kissed him. She is pretty evil._

_**Then why didn't he tell me? I know she's awful, I would've believed him. I've known him forever, but now he feels like a stranger to me.**_

She had a point.

_Aww Zo…you –_

I stopped writing when I heard mine and Nicole's name being called…and clicked… to go next.

I stood up and handed our disk to Mr. Seezer and he popped it in. "What did you entitle this, miss Martinez _–click-_?"

"A Day In The Life Of Two Fashionistas." I answered him with a smile, but I was far from a smiling mood, honestly. That was where acting came in handy.

Mr. Seezer pushed start as I sat down.

"_Hiii everyone in my English class! How are ya? Well, this is the project of Nicole Bristow-that's me, I hope you know that's me, 'cause if you don't, that's suckish especially since I've been in classes with you for, like, two years-and Lola Martinez-she's managing the camera at this point in time. Wait, do you __manage__ a __camera__? Hmm. Anyways, say hi Lola!_" Nicole's voice boomed around the room. I shook my head and laughed, along with the rest of the class. Hmm, guess everyone loved Nicole's rambles.

Te camera view switched to me. "Sup_? 'Kay, so this video is called A Day In The life Of Two Fashionistas. From now 'til the end of the day, we're going to film everything. The unedited, unrehearsed truth of a day in the life of us. I'll have the camera for the first half, Nicole for the second. So get ready, this is going to be GOOD!_"

_Hmm, I was having a good hair day…_

"_We now see Nicole…painting her toes. Tell the world, Nicole; why did you choose hot pink as your color?_"

"_It's magenta, not hot pink!_"

"_Pardon me!_"

I sat at my desk and watched our video for next few minures. Everything seemed to be going well.

I glanced over at Michael. I missed him. I haven't talked to him since the incident where I walked in. _I wish so badly that I just didn't walk in then; that I walked in 3 seconds later… _It didn't matter anyway because Michael didn't feel the same way.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and thought some more. _Was it really worth it anyway? Like, relationships don't always last. It could've just been a month thing and then we'd be over. Maybe this is what's supposed to happen. Maybe it's fate._

I snapped out of my thoughts as a look of pure horror was planted on my face, as I watched what was now on the screen.

_**No. Way.**_

"_Nicole, I've never seen you so upset before! He's just a guy._"

"_Lola, he's not just a guy!_"

"_What are you saying?_"

It took Nicole and I a moment to react.

"Lola! Shut it off!" she screamed, as we ignored Mr. Seezer's shushing.

"I'm saying… he's not like those hot guys I date for, like, a day. He's special, The One…"

I frantically searched for the pause button, panic running through me like a waterfall. "Mr. Seezer, we need to turn it off now!"

"I'm not sure how_-click-_." He shrugged. "It's fine, return to your seats_-click-_"

"_I think I'm in love with him,_" Nicole's voiced boomed. Monte's eyes practically fell out of his head.

I pushed a random button and it paused. Nicole sank into her desk, her cheeks red, looking defeated.

"That's under five minutes_-click-_." Mr. Seezer broke the painful silence, obviously unaware of what just took place. "We need twenty more seconds, or you'll get 20 points off_-click-_."

"But Mr. Seezer!" I look at him, scared. This is not normal, I tell you; _not normal_!

But mid-sentence someone had gotten up from their desk and unpaused it. To my horror, it was,

"Michael, what the Shakespeare are you doing?" I cried. He looked at me.

"I need to know," he shrugged.

I looked to Mr. Seezer with pleading eyes but he ignored me. I sank back into my chair and put my head in my hands. I couldn't watch.

"_Wow,_" I heard my voice say. "_That's so great!"_

"Yeah, and maybe, if everything works out, we can have a double wedding!" Nicople's voice said. I cringed.

"_And with whom would I wed?_"

"_Michael, duh!_"

"_Um. I don't like Michael…_"

"_Ya you do_!"

"_Fine, fine. Fine. Maybe I do. But he'll never love me back, he said so_."

Mr. Seezer shut it off. "A for presentation, but B for plot_.-click-_ I didn't get it_.-click-"_

The bell rang and Nicole and I high-tailed out of there and into the girl's bathroom. I didn't dare look at Michael.

_Maybe if I pinch myself, it'll all be a dream._

**Ow.**

_Nope._

"Lola?" Nicole asked shakily, looking nervous. "What just happened?"

**A/N: Okay, I know it's a tad short, but I wanted to get it up because there hasn't been an update in ages, so sorry:( And I'm sorry about that, really. Final exams came and I had no time, in between graduation and volunteer work and stuff. Thank you to **_**magicpopstar777HHr**__**Peanut 101**__**WanderingWish**__**Magenta Stone**__**Rawliin**__**girliegurl**__**Tough Girls Don't Cry**__**xXGabbyXx**__**freaky-callback-girl**_**, and **_**FallennAngel**_**! You guys rock:) **

**So tell me…which story next? Review! And I promise my next update will be better.**

**ColirsOfTheSky101**


	12. Accepting The Present

Summary: Sequel to Reawakening The Past

**Summary:** Sequel to Reawakening The Past. Zoey and the gang are back for freshman year of PCA. And everything's about to change, especially when they meet the new kids. Trusts will be shattered, hearts will be broken. Thanks to Hybrid Speed for the title. Summary kind of stinks, but the story is really good, I promise!

**A/N: **I bet you are incredibly surprised to see this updated, right? Anyway, I'm not sure anyone will actually want to read this, as it's probably forgotten, but nonetheless, I am finishing what I started, dig?!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Zoey 101.

**Accepting The Present**

**Chapter 12:**

**Accepting The Present**

**Normal POV**

Zoey sighed and continued down the hallway, a note clutched in her hand. _Why am I even doing this? _

She'd received a note once she got back from class. Well, technically, after she'd spent thirty minutes trying to get Lola and Nicole to come out of the bathroom. They had last period free, so, yeah, why not sit in a public bathroom?

"There's, like, no way I'm going out there, Zoe!" Nicole had said. "I don't care how icky this stupid bathroom is."

"Surely I can start my acting career from here." Lola said, obviously a bit frazzled from what had just occurred. "Uh…uh…_Toilet the Musical_! Yeah, definitely!"

Her friends were strange. But what wasn't lately?

The note she received had said the following:

_**If you want explanations, come to the girl's lounge at 11 PM.**_

She was almost sure it was from Chase. She couldn't know for sure, as the note was typed, but she was almost positive.

Part of her wanted to just rip it up into ten trillion little pieces, sprinkle it on ravioli, and feed it to Coco. To just forget it, and him, and everything.

She wasn't quite sure what compelled her to finally decide to go. Odds are, it was because she still loved him. But she didn't really want to think much about that.

She finally reached the girl's lounge. It was dark, but she heard muffled voices.

"Who's there?" she called out.

"Zoey?" Nicole's voice came out through the darkness

"Nicole?" Zoey asked, confused. "You sent me that note?"

"What note? I got a note too!" Nicole explained, confused. Zoey finally found the light switch. Sure enough, there was Nicole, note in hand.

"Okay, this is weird." Zoey pointed out.

"Wait, you guys, too?" Logan walked in, also holding a note.

"Alright, now it's weirder." Zoey sighed. "What's going on?"

"Who sent these?" Nicole wondered.

"That," came a female voice from the stairs. "would be me." Everyone turned around in surprise. It was –

"Lori?!" Zoey yelled, disgusted. "What do you want from us?"

"Yeah, haven't you and your brother tortured us enough?" Nicole said angrily.

"Why did you give us these?" Logan added, holding up his note.

Lori sighed. They all hated her, she knew they did. They could've been friends; she could've had friends for once in her life. _Look how they all stick up for each other…they all love each other. I've never had that…so I tried taking it away from them, but I failed. I was too weak. Love always beats hate. _So Loretta Lynn Hevenofsky, daughter of Yolanda Hevenofsky, finally felt remorse. After all, if she couldn't have love, at least some people would. They were lucky. _Taking love away from them would do nothing but add more pain like mine to the world._

"There's a few things I have to do." She answered honestly. "Logan?"

"What?" he snapped.

She looked at him, and it hurt her. She was responsible for all their pain. At that moment, she was no better than her mother. She needed to fix this. "Monte isn't dating Dana. She's his cousin. They didn't recognize each other at first, but once they were paired up for that project, they remembered. Monte was sent away because he accidentally burnt down the Cruz household. He went to Zoey and Chase's foster home, and then a couple years later, me and my mom took him in. I made him flirt with Dana before he knew who she was, to ruin your relationship. I'm sorry…"

Logan's mouth hung open. He couldn't find words. For once, he had _nothing_, absolutely nothing, to say.

Lori half-smiled. It felt good to tell the truth for once. She turned to Nicole. "Nicole?" Nicole said nothing; she merely nodded, waiting. "I'm the one who told Monte to ask you out and then break your heart. It was all me. He only ran because he couldn't do that to you." Lori gulped back tears. "He really cares about you, Nicole. I just hope I haven't screwed it up for him…"

When Nicole, too, lacked words, Lori took a deep breath and turned to Zoey. "Zoey."

Zoey took a deep breath as well. "I'm listening…"

This would be the hardest. She'd made Zoey suffer the most. All out of jealousy. "I kissed Chase. He didn't kiss me. It was completely against his will. The only reason he wasn't going to tell you was because he couldn't stand the possibility of you being gone from him. He loves you so much." She half-smiled again as Zoey wiped away a tear and continued listening. "The truth is…" She turned to everyone. "I was jealous of all of you. You've got great friends and people all around who love you. I've never had that. I should've known trying to take it all away from you wouldn't give it to me. So…I'm sorry. Truly."

She turned around and began walking back up the stars. She'd done it. Her conscience was clear.

She was surprised when she heard feet behind her. She turned back around and was face-to-face with Zoey Brooks, the girl whom she thought ruined her life. In reality, it was ruined long before.

Zoey said nothing at first. She just simply put out her hand, a half-smile on her face. I took it and we shook hands.

"Maybe once everything is back in order," Zoey said quietly. "We can start fresh." Lori looked down the stairs. Nicole was nodding and Logan was too, but in a more manly way.

Now she knew for sure she had done the right thing. "Sounds good."

"And Lori?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Yeah," Logan and Nicole said one after the other.

It was then that Lori decided; _maybe there's hope, after all_.

* * *

Her absence was killing him. He needed her back. She was his best friend and all that was good in the world. He was sure there was no hope, as he sat on his roof, thinking.

So you could imagine Chase Matthews' surprise when he found Zoey Brooks standing next to him.

"Do – do you want me to leave?" he asked quietly. It was dark out. Curfew was soon to end anyway.

She sat down in the chair next to him. "No." Chase gave a small smile. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he hoped it was something good.

"Do you remember when I was leaving the foster home?" Zoey spoke up. "And we made a promise to never separate the Dynamic Duo?"

Chase smiled. "Yeah, I seem to recall that."

"Lori told me what happened." She told Chase. _Finally. I thought she never would… _"And I decided that, I should've believed you from the beginning. I'm sorry."

"It's cool." Chase smiled. "We're okay now though, right?"

Zoey pulled him into a hug. It seemed to last for decades, that one hug. She missed him all along. She missed laughing with him, being near him.

She pulled from the hug and ruffled his bushy hair. "I think we are."

"Alright, well, that's goods." Chase continued to ramble. "'Cause, well, you know, it would've been really – " She smiled and kissed him.

Back to the way it should be. _Finally_.

* * *

Nicole remained in the girl's lounge in disbelief. _"He really cares about you, Nicole"… "He really cares about you, Nicole"… "He really cares about you, Nicole"…_

It was something new to her ears. Most guys she met simply thought she was hot or cute. He _cared_. She liked the idea of that.

"Monte!" she shouted. He had just walked in, ready to explain the whole thing to Nicole. She ran up to him and smiled.

"Hey Nicole, look I – " Out of the blue, she kissed him, and he kissed back, shocked but happy. He thought she was mad. Apparently not?

She pulled away and smiled. "Lori told me everything."

"Really?"

"Yeah…and I just thought we'd pick up where we, you know, left off." After she said that, she giggled.

"I think that was here…" he smiled and kissed her again. _Thank you, Lori_. He pulled away and asked, "Want to go get a smoothie?"

"Sure! Let's go!" She grabbed his wrist and they ran off, laughing.

* * *

"Lola? Lola!" Michael continued to knock on the bathroom door. He couldn't believe she was still in there after all this time. "If you don't come out, I _will_ come in! I'm not afraid of the girl's room!"

Lola continued to stare at the door. What do you do when you've run out of acting techniques? And all that's left is…you?

"Okay, maybe I am…" Michael admitted. "C'mon, Lola! Open up! Please?"

She sighed and opened the door. "Look, Mike, if you're here to reject me, it's cool. You already said you didn't like me so – "

And them Michael kissed her, right in front of the girl's room. Her eyes fluttered closed. Was she dreaming? He pulled her closer. The kiss lasted a few seconds until Michael pulled away, and said, "Hey, you're not the _only_ actor." They went in for another kiss.

"Um, excuse me…" A random girl said. "I have to use the bathroom?"

"There's one on the second floor!" Lola shouted, and went in to kiss Michael again. Everything felt perfect now, in her mind.

* * *

_Swish._

Dana smiled contently to herself as she made another basket. It was about eleven o' clock, way past curfew, but did she care? Uh, no…

No one knew this, but she came out here some nights, when most people were asleep, and just played basketball. It brought her to a different world; a world that blocked away everything else.

She ran in for a lay-up, her black basketball shorts swishing behind her, and made it in with ease.

There was someone carrying a flashlight some distance away, but she didn't think much of it. Right then, it was just her and the basket and the ball.

"Dana?" Logan's voice echoed. Or so she thought. She groaned and turned around.

"What do you want, pretty boy?" She noticed he was not carrying a flashlight, but his cell phone.

"I've been trying your cell all day." He said quietly. "Everyone's been…you know…worried…"

"About what? I'm _fine_!" she said quickly. "Now stay out of my way! Why are you even talking to me." She dribbled up and shot at the foul line. It hit the rim and bounced off. "Ugh! You _see_? You _see_ what you do?!"

"I'm not doing anything!" Logan said defensively. She ran to get the ball, but he grabbed it first.

"Give it back, you idiot." She commanded bitterly. He was _ruining_ her different world.

"Can you listen for a second?!" he asked, exasperated. Dana sighed and crossed her arms.

"You've got fifteen seconds." She stated, staring at her nails.

"Okay." He nodded. "Look, I'm…I'm…I'm sorry, alright?" Dana looked up. "Lori told me everything. I should've listened to you."

"Yeah, you should've!" Dana yelled. "Sorry? That's all you've got, Hasselhoff-Wanna-Be?!"

"Uh…"

"Because with me, you need an apology," she gave a small smile. "And a one-on-one game." He smiled. "Well, what're you waiting for? Check it!"

"You're on, Cruz!"

The game went on. They were evenly matched and ended up laughing and joking around the whole time.

In the end, Dana won, much to Logan's protest.

They were now lying on the grass next to the court, laughing about each other's embarrassing shots.

"Can we not tell people that you beat me?" Logan asked, looking up at the sky. "I've got a tough guy rep to uphold."

"Yeah, 'course you do." Dana laugh, not believing him. "I doubt I'd have time to spread the word, anyway."

"What?" he turned to face her. "Wait, why?"

Dana took a deep breath. This was going to be harder than she thought. "My mom enrolled me in a foreign exchange program without asking me…next year, I'm going to school in, um, France…"

"No, you can't!" Logan protested. "Can't you cancel?" She shook her head.

"I'm gonna miss it here…" she turned back to the sky. "And possibly you."

"Aw, Cruz, you know you want me." He teased.

"You're a pig." Dana laughed. "But…maybe I do."

There was a moment of silence as Logan and Dana stared at the sky. The stars were out and shining.

"We'll make it work." Logan finally spoke up. "I'm not gonna let you go that easily." Dana smiled a nodded, suddenly feeling tired. "Wanna make out?"

"Please…" Dana rolled her eyes, as if she didn't want to, and then smirked. "Do you really have to ask?" Then, she closed the space between them.

* * *

Meanwhile, a way away, two siblings, though not by blood, exchanged a few words.

"You've done well, sis." Monte said to her, smiling. "Thank you. I knew you weren't evil. Well…not completely."

Lori smirked and looked out the window to the night sky, thinking about her parents, and her past, but also, what she had just done, and the possiblities ahead. "Well, there's no hope for the future if you can't accept the present, is there?"

_The End._

* * *

**A/N: Phew, my conscience feels clearer now:)**

**If you didn't read my author's note above, I'm aware it's shocking I actually got to this story.**

**NOTE: This is a sequel to my older story _Reawakening The Past_****! I recommend you read that first if you haven't.**

**Thanks to those of you who have stuck with this, even though it seemed like I'd given up. You guys rock!**

**-Colors **


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